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LITTLE LIVES 

OF 

The Great Saints. 



J" 
JOHN O'KANE MURRAY, B.S., M.D., 

Author of the " Popular History of the Catholic Church in the United 

States" '■'■Prose and Poetry of Ireland," "Lives of the Catholic 

Heroes and Heromes of America" and "Lessons in 

English Literature." 



'• The Saint is the true hero." — Nun of Kenmare. 

'' Often read the lives of the Saints." — St. Philip Neri. 




SURSUM 



NEW *&K : 
P. J. KENEDY, 

EXCELSIOR CATHOLIC PUBLISHING HOUSE, 

5 Barclay Street. 

1880. 



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Thb Library 
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WASHINGTON 



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Copyrighted, i3Sc. "by 
P. J. KENEDY. 



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WHOSE KINDLY WORDS HAD SO MUCH TO DO IN ENCOURAGING ITS 
PREPARATION, 

THIS LITTLE VOLUME 

IS MOST AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. 

M. 



PREFACE. 




|HIS little volume contains thirty-one Lives 
arranged in the order of time. It begins 
with the Most Blessed Virgin, and ends 
with Saint Alphonsus Liguori. It is a month of 
Great Saints. 

Each Life will be found short enough, I believe, 
to read at a sitting. Each is complete in itself. 
It has been my earnest endeavor to make every 
point as plain and interesting as possible by means 
of abundant notes — literary, historical, theologi- 
cal, descriptive, and geographical. 

We live in a busy, enquiring age. But there is 
little leisure and less inclination for the perusal of 
large books. I have kept this fact in mind, and 
I venture to hope that no reader will feel weary 
over any portion of the Little Lives. 

Biography has become very popular, and justly 
so. In no field of literature can wisdom and en- 
tertainment be gleaned more pleasantly than in 
reading the lives of truly illustrious men and 
women. But far above all the other children 
of Adam are the great Saints of the Catholic 
Church, in whose bright and virtuous careers we 



IO 



Pre/at 



behold redeemed humanity soaring to the pin 

nacle of immortal glory. B P n 

In the preparation of this simple work, I have 

consulted none but the most approved and trust 

wort y sources of information. I have used! 

doubtful matenal. I am especially indebted to 

he writings of Ratisbonne, Montalembert, But! 

er, Baunard, Orsini, Camus, Gueranger, De 

Ligny, Jocehn, Vaughan, Weninger, Ormsby, 

Thebaud Vetromile, the Nun of Kenmare, and 

many others. 

I return my warm thanks to the learned and 
venerable Father A. J. Thebaud, S.J., of New 
*ork, for aid and hght on several obscure points ■ 
and to the Rev. Father Maurice Ronayne, S.j ' 
of the College of St. Francis Xavier, New York" 
who has been so kind and courteous as to read 
the advance sheets, and to give me suggestions 
and his valuable opinion of the work. 

And now if there is one wish I would like 
to record here it is, that the Little Lives may fall 
into the hands of many young people, and that 
the perusal of it may increase their love of 
virtue, and their faith in the Catholic Church- 
the Guardian of Truth, and the Mother of the 
Great Saints. 

John O'Kane Murray. 

Brooklyn, L. I., May, 1880. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Dedication 7 

Preface, ........... 9 

Most Blessed Virgin Mary, 13 

Saint Joseph, 50 

Saint John the Baptist, . . . . . . .62 

Saint James the Great, 77 

Saint Peter, 87 

Saint Paul, 108 

Saint John the Evangelist, 127 

Saint Cecilia, . . 149 

Saint Lawrence, , . . .159 

Saint Agnes, . 170 

Saint Basil the Great, 180 

Saint Monica, 192 

Saint Jerome, 200 

Saint Augustine, . . . 212 

Saint Patrick, 228 

Saint Bridget, 255 

Saint Columbki'.l, 263 

Saint Gregory the Great, 289 

Saint Bede, 302 

Saint Bernard, . . 309 



12 



Contents, 



Saint Lawrence O'Toole, 

Saint Elizabeth, 

Saint Louis, . 

Saint Thomas Aquinas, 

Saint Catherine of Genoa, 

Saint Francis Xavier, . 

Saint Teresa, . 

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, 

Saint Francis de Sales, . 

Saint Vincent de Paul, . 

Saint Alphonsus Liguori, 

Christ's Sermon on the Mount, 

Spiritual Maxims for even- Day in the 

Hints on Religious Reading, 



Month, 



PAGE 

343 
352 
36g 
385 
400 
411 
424 
439 
447 
468 
478 
496 
509 
512 



LITTLE LIVES 

OF 

THE GREAT SAINTS. 



MOTHER OF GOD AND QUEEN OF SAINTS AND ANGELS. 
DIED A.D. 45. l 




" Ave Maria ! Thou whose name 
All but adoring love may claim." 2 

" Bright Mother of our Maker, hail ! 
Thou Virgin ever blest, 
The Ocean's Star by which we sail 
And gain the port of rest !" 3 

81 T brings us back to the dawn of ages. It 
is the saddest event recounted in history. 
Tears cluster around the very words. 
Our first parents fell, and were driven out of the 

1 Ecclesiastical writers are far from being unanimous as to the 
exact date of the Most Blessed Virgin's holy death. Nicephorus, 
the Greek historian, is our authority for the above date. Cardinal 
Baronius places it in the year 48. 

2 Ave, Maris Stella. 

3 These lines are from the pen of Keble, a distinguished Pro- 
testant clergyman, poet, and Professor of Poetry at Oxford, who 
died in 1866. 

13 



14 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

lovely garden of Paradise. 4 True happiness de- 
parted for other spheres. Sin came. The beauty 
of the world was blighted, but the human race 
was not left hopeless. The serpent, in time, would 
be crushed ; and a woman, it was promised, would 
repair the evil done by woman. 5 

This much we learn in the third chapter of that 
Sacred Book which goes back to the beginning, 
and fails not to carry us with mysterious grandeur 
to the consummation of ages. 

But in the meantime long centuries rolled by. 
The Deluge nearly swept mankind out of exist- 

4 The Arabian traditions place the terrestrial Paradise in that 
fair valley of Damascus which the Eastern poets call the emerald 
of the desert. This idea is justified by its admirable situation, its 
beauty, and its fertility ; and a learned commentator on Genesis 
has not hesitated to set down this fair site as that of the Garden 
of Eden, although the names of the Euphrates and the Tigris in- 
dicate a position somewhat different. In support of this Arab 
tradition there is shown, about half a day's journey from Damas- 
cus, a lofty mountain of white marble shaded with beautiful 
trees, and therein is a cavern, pointed out as the abode of Adam, 
of Abel, and of Cain. There also is seen the sepulchre of Abel, 
which is much respected by the Turks. The spot whereon the 
fratricide was committed is marked by four pillars. — Abbe Orsini. 

5 As soon as God communicated to fallen man His decree of 
redemption, and promised that "the seed of the woman would 
crush the head of the serpent," the Church was born, at least in 
design. Mankind was to be regenerated, born again ; and those 
who should comply with the conditions of reconciliation would 
form a societv united anew with the Creator.— Father The'baud, 
S.J. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 15 

ence. Great empires arose, flourished, and de- 
cayed. The world was far from becoming better. 
God was almost forgotten ; but at length, unseen, 
the glorious light of the bright day of promise 
began to dawn on this sin-dimmed earth. 

At Nazareth, 6 a city of Galilee, 7 there lived a 
good, humble man of the race of David, named 
Joachim. His wife was Anne. They had walked 

6 Nazareth, the place where the great work of the redemption of 
man commenced, where the reconciliation of man with God had 
its beginning, where the earth was declared to be at peace with 
God, and where justice and peace kissed each other, is a city or 
village of 3,000 inhabitants, 2,500 of which are Catholics. It is 
handsomely located on an elevation of the western side of one of 
the most beautiful valleys of Syria, and the land surrounding it is 
in a fine state of cultivation — all laid out in gardens, orchards, 
and luxuriant fields. — Vetromile. 

Nazareth is about 65 miles north of Jerusalem. The houses 
are mostly of stone, well built and flat-roofed. The population 
has a more prosperous appearance than in any other part of the 
country, and the women of Nazareth are famous for their beauty. 
— Am. Cyclopes dia. 

7 Galilee was a division of northern Palestine, bordering on 
the Mediterranean, and bounded on the east by the river Jordan. 
Palestine, or the Holy Land, extends along the eastern shores of 
the Mediterranean a distance of 175 miles from north to south. 
It is from 50 to 90 miles wide ; corresponds in latitude with the 
State of Alabama ; and embraces an area of about 13,500 square 
miles. In ancient times it was a very fertile region — "a land 
flowing with milk and honey." It is a country of hills and val- 
leys, being traversed by two ranges of mountains. Of these Le- 
banon is the highest, and Carmel, perhaps, the most noted. The 
prophet Elias dwelt on Mount Carmel ; it is on the sea-coast. 



1 6 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

in the ways of virtue, but Heaven had not blessed 
them with children. 

The goodness of Joachim and Anne, however, 
was not left unrewarded. Twenty years passed 
away, and on the 8th of September a wonderful 
child was sent to cheer their old age. The prom- 
ised Virgin, who was to repair the primitive fault, 
was born ; and she came into the world clothed 
with inexpressible purity and beauty. On the 
ninth day, according to custom, the Babe Immacu- 
late* received the name of Mary. 9 

"And assuredly," says St. Bernard, "the 
Mother of God could not have a name more ap- 
propriate, or more expressive of her high dignity. 
Mary is, in fact, that fair and luminous star which 
shines over the vast and stormy sea of this world." 

" Mary, sweet name revered above, 
And oh, how dear below ! 
In it are hope and holy love, 
And blessings from it flow ! " 

The child's understanding, like the day in some 

8 The Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin is a 
truth of faith. It is thus expressed by the Church ; 

"We define that the Blessed Virgin Mary in the first moment 
of her conception, by the singular grace and privilege of Al- 
mighty God, and in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Sa- 
viour of the human race, was preserved free from every stain of 
original sin." — Pius IX., Bulla Dogmat. 

9 Mary means, in the Syiiac language, lady, sovereign, or mis- 
t/ess, and in Hebrew star of the sea. — Orsini. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 1 7 

favored regions, had scarcely a dawn. It shone 
out clearly from her earliest years. Her preco- 
cious virtue and the wisdom of her words, at a 
period of life when other children still enjoy but 
a purely physical existence, made the parents 
judge that the time of separation was come ; and 
when Joachim had offered to the Lord, for the 
third time since the birth of his daughter, the 
first-fruits of his small inheritance, the husband 
and wife, grateful and resigned, set out for Jeru- 
salem, in order to deposit within the sacred pre- 
cincts of the Temple the treasure which they had 
received from the Holy One of Israel. 

The ancient capital of Judea 10 was soon reached, 
and for the first time Mary passed through its 
ponderous gates and beheld its frowning battle- 
ments. The pious parents presented their child 

10 Jerusalem is the holy city of the Jews and Christians. It is 
33 miles east of the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Dead 
Sea. Its elevation above the Mediterranean is over 2,000 feet. 
The population is about 20,000 ; but it is conjectured that in the 
days of our Blessed Redeemer it had a population of perhaps 
200,000. The country around Jerusalem is rocky and not very 
fertile. The streets of the city are narrow, winding, dirty, and 
badly paved. The principal and broadest street is about 15 feet 
wide. Some are only 5 or 6 feet wide. The houses are usually 
two or three stories high, and built of heavy masonry. The siege 
of Jerusalem by Titus in the year 70 is one of the most memora- 
ble in history. It ended in the complete destruction of the city. 
In this siege, according to Josephus, 1,100,000 Jews perished. — 
Am. Cyclo. 



1 8 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

in the great Temple " of the Lord of Hosts. She 
was received by the priest with the usual ceremo- 
nies, and then placed among the consecrated vir- 
gins, who occupied a portion of the sacred edifice 
set apart especially for themselves. 12 

Mary spent the best years of her young life in 
the Temple. It was the precious time of prepa- 
ration. The future Virgin-Mother was well edu- 
cated, but in those days domestic duties were 
wisely looked upon as important branches of edu- 
cation. She arose daily with the lark, thought of 
the holy presence of God, and dressed herself 
with the greatest modesty. 

" Her toilet," writes the Abb6 Orsini, " was ex- 
tremely simple, and occupied but little time. She 

11 The Temple into which Mary was about to enter had an event- 
ful history. Solomon built the first Temple, and made it the glory 
of the East. But the demon o r destruction came, and its splen- 
dor passed away like a vision of the n ; ght. It finally arose from 
its ruins under Zorobabel, who built it sword in hand, notwith- 
standing the active opposition of many hostile nations. The 
second Temple, however, with all its unheard-of magnificence, 
was as inferior to the first in grandeur as in sanctity. — Orsini. 

Josephus tells us that the exterior front of the Temple was so 
thickly covered with plates o' gold that, when day began to ap- 
pear, it was no less dazzling than the rays of the rising sun. As 
for the other sides, where there was no gold, the stones were so 
white that, at a distance, the superb structure looked like a moun- 
tain crowned with snow. 

12 Mary was then about three years of age. The Church cele- 
brates the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin on the 
2ist of November. 



Little Lives of the Great S.iints. 1 9 

wore neither bracelets of pearl, nor chains of gold 
inlaid with silver, nor purple tunics, such as were 
worn by the daughters of the princes of her race. 
A robe of celestial blue, a white tunic, confined at 
the waist by a cincture with flowing ends, a long 
veil, simply but gracefully arranged so as com- 
pletely to cover the face when necessary — these, 
with a kind of shoe corresponding to the robe, 
composed the oriental costume of Mary." 

Each day had its hours for the exercises of reli- 
gion. The voice of prayer and the hymn of praise 
were wafted aloft from the pure lips of the young 
Virgin. 

We are told that Mary was somewhat above 
the middle stature. Her lovely face was the mir- 
ror of her most pure and beautiful soul, and her 
person was physical perfection itself. She was 
the most exquisite work of nature. St. Denis 
the Areopagite, who saw the Blessed Virgin, as- 
sures us that she was of dazzling beauty. 13 

She excelled in embroidery and all the accom- 
plishments of her time. She had a perfect under- 
standing of Holy Scripture. But of her physical, 
mental, and moral gifts this heavenly Girl made 
no parade. She spoke little, and always to the 

13 It is neither climate, nor food, nor bodily exercise which 
forms human beauty ; it is the moral sentiment of virtue, which 
cannot subsist without religion. The beauty of the countenance 
is the true index of the soul. — Bemardine de St. Pierre. 



20 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

purpose. Virtue and good sense regulated her 
thoughts, words, and actions. 

Thus Mary passed silently along the way of 
life like some fair star gliding through the silver- 
lined clouds. Thanks to her Immaculate Concep- 
tion, she possessed a sweet and natural inclination 
to virtue ; and her shining deeds were like the 
wreath of snow which silently falls on the moun- 
tain-top, adding purity to purity and whiteness to 
whiteness, till it rears itself into a shining cone 
which attracts the rays of the sun and dazzles the 
eye of man. 

The Blessed Mary had spent nine years in the 
retirement of the Temple, when the first dark 
cloud obscured her young life. Joachim, her be- 
loved father, fell dangerously ill ; and she came 
home just in time to pray at his bedside and to re- 
ceive his last blessing. 14 But still another afflic- 
tion was at hand. A short time after, St. Anne 
blessed her dear daughter and died in peace. 
Mary was now an orphan, but she bore her sor- 
row in silence and patience. 

14 Some pious author? have thought that, at the moment when 
Joachim extended his hands to bless his child, a revelation from 
on high suddenly disclosed to him the glorious destiny awaiting 
her ; the joy of the elect diffused itself over his venerable coun- 
tenance, his arms fell by his side, he bowed down his head, and 
died. — Orsini. 

It must be remembered that Mary's seclusion in the Temple 
was not monastic. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 2 1 

It is the opinion of several distinguished writers 
that it was at this period, when her path was dark- 
ened by the clouds of sadness and desolation, that 
the holy young Virgin made her vow of perpetual 
virginity, and offered, for ever and for ever, the 
purest of pure hearts to God. 

But while Mary was always to remain the Im- 
maculate Virgin, it was manifested to her, as a 
decree of Heaven, that she should enter the mar- 
riage state. The choice was made. The divine 
will pointed out Joseph ; and it is said that Mary 
received the solemn assurance from on high that 
this man of many merits would be to her only a 
protector, a worthy companion, and the honored 
guardian of her angelic chastity. The marriage 
ceremony 15 was performed in Jerusalem, and, at 
the end of a week, St. Joseph and his beautiful 
bride retired to the birthplace of both, the town 
of Nazareth. 

Blessed was the humble home of Mary and Jo- 
seph. It was guarded by angels. It was full of 
peace, purity, and happiness. While he attended 

15 It took place on the 8th of September. The Angelic Doctor, 
St. Thomas Aquinas, is of the opinion that it was immediately 
after the celebration of their marriage that St. Joseph and the 
Most Blessed Virgin, by mutual consent, made their vow of per- 
petual chastity. It may, perhaps, be asked, " Can this marriage 
of two persons, vowed to virginity, be considered a true one? ' 
Most certainly. St. Augustine says that it is the consent of the 
parties which constitutes the marriage tie. 



22 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

his workshop, she joyfully made the round of her 
daily duties. With her own delicate hands she 
prepared the meals, and ground the wheat and 
barley, which she then baked in the form of thin, 
round cakes. And, wrapt in her white veil, this 
illustrious Virgin might often be seen as, with 
graceful modesty, she went on her way to draw 
water in a neighboring fountain. 

But the dawn of a mighty event drew near — an 
event so extraordinary that it was announced by 
Gabriel, one of the four bright angels who al- 
ways stand before Almighty God in the Court of 
Heaven. 

" The Angel Gabriel," says the Holy Book, 
11 was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called 
Nazareth, to a Virgin espoused to a man whose 
name was Joseph, of the house of David ; and the 
Virgin's name was Mary. 

"And the ans:el being: come in, 16 said to her: 



16 The Sanctuary of the Annunciation is built on the same site 
and occupies precisely the very identical spot on which stood the 
house of the Blessed Virgin, which was transported by the angels to 
Italy. The present house in Nazareth is of the same dimensions, 
and an exact copy of the real one now at Loretto. A granite pil- 
lar, suspended from the vault, marks the place where the Blessed 
Virgin stood when she received the Angelic Salutation ; and an- 
other about three feet distant points out the spot occupied by the 
Archangel Gabriel in delivering to her the message sent from 
Heaven. This Sanctuary is enclosed in a large, fine church, 
called the Church of the Annunciation, the interior of which is 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 23 

' Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Bless- 
ed art thou among women.' 17 

" Who having heard, was troubled at his say- 
ing, and thought with herself what manner of sal- 
utation this might be. 

" And the angel said to her : ' Fear not, Mar} 7 , 
for thou hast found grace with God. Behold 
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shait bring 
forth a Son ; and thou shalt call His name Jesus. 
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of 
the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto 
Him the throne of His father David ; and He 
shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and 
of His kingdom there shall be no end.' 

" And Mary said to the angel : ' How shall this 
be done, because I know not man?' 

" And the angel answering, said to her: 'The 
Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power 



covered with fine and rich silk damask, which hangs all around 
the walls. — Vetromile. 

17 Is it not, in truth, a subject for pity, and a clear proof that 
heresy and prejudice blind the intellect and stupefy the reli- 
gious side of man's nature, when we come to think thnt the holi- 
est of virgins and the purest of women — a woman to whom the 
great Archangel Gabriel said : " Hail, full of grace, the Lord is 
with thee: blessed art thou among women" — is now regarded by 
Protestants as nothing more than a common woman? What folly 
and blasphemy in people who pretend to have the Bible under 
their very noses seven days in the week ! This is to have eyes 
and see not. 



24 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And, 
therefore, the Holy who shall be born of thee 
shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy 
cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son 18 
in her old age; and this is the sixth month with 
her that is called barren. For no word shall be 
impossible with God.' 

'• And Mary said : ' Behold the handmaid of the 
Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.' " 

Even towards an angel of heaven how wise is 
Mary's conduct, how beautiful her words ! Had 
the great saints and philosophers of all time been 
engaged for years in framing an answer to the 
wonderful announcement of Gabriel, we feel sure 
they would have tried in vain to compose any- 
thing that so bears the shining seal of force, 
beauty, brevity, wisdom, and humility as the im- 
mortal words that issued from the lips of the 
Blessed Virgin — " Behold the handmaid of the 
Lord, be it done to me according to thy word." 

On hearing those precious words the angel dis- 
appeared, and JESUS Christ became man in the 
womb of the Immaculate Mother. 19 

18 St. John the Baptist. 

19 According to Father Drexelius, the mystery of the Incarna- 
tion took place on the 25th of March, on a Friday evening. — Or- 
sini. 

The house visited by the Angel Gabriel, and in which Mary 
gave her consent to become the Mother of God, is now at the city 
of Loretto, in Italy. It is commonly known as the " Holy House 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 25 

Soon after this, the Most Holy Mary went to 
pay a visit to her cousin, St. Elizabeth, who lived 
in a city in the hill-country of Judea. 

"And she entered into the house of Zachary," 
writes St. Luke, " and saluted Elizabeth. And it 
came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salu- 
tation of Mary, the infant 20 leaped in her womb. 
And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost ; 
and. she cried out with a loud voice, saying: 

" ' Blessed art thou among women, and blessed 
is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to 
me that the mother of my Lord should come to 
me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salu- 
tation sounded in my ears, the infant in my 
womb leaped for joy. i\nd blessed art thou that 
hast believed, because those things shall be 

of Loretto." This precious Sanctuary, in which God became 
man, " was transported by the angels," writes Rev. Dr. Vetro- 
mile, " first from Galilee to Dalmatia in 1291 ; thence to Italy, 
near Recanati, in 1294 ; and finally, in 1295, to the spot where it 
now remains. This house is 30 feet long, 15 wide, and 18 high ; 
it is built of ebony and small bricks, and is covered by a kind of 
wooden roof overlaid, I think, with tiles. There is a window ap- 
parently opening on the loft ; but it seems to have communicated 
with the roof and another window through which the Archangel 
Gabriel appeared to her. This holy house is now covered exter- 
nally with fine marble, and upon this Sanctuary a large and 
splendid church has been erected. An immense number of pil- 
grims continually visit this Sanctuary." — Travels, vol. ii. 

Loretto has a population of about 5,000. 

20 St. John the Baptist. 



26 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

accomplished that were spoken to thee by the 
Lord.' " 

On hearing these prophetic words, Mary pro- 
nounced that inspired and beautiful poem called 
the Magnificat : 

" My soul doth magnify the Lord ; and my spi- 
rit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 

" Because He hath regarded the humility of 
His handmaid ; for behold from henceforth all 
generations shall call me blessed. 21 

21 Thus the inspired words of Mary herself proclaim that " all 
generations " — that is, all generations that from that time to the 
end of the world will believe in the Redeemer to be born of her 
— shall call her blessed. But it is in the Catholic Church alone 
that, generation after generation, this sacred prophecy is fulfilled. 
Protestants, however, to borrow the words of Archbishop Gib- 
bons, " are careful to exclude themselves from the generations thnt 
were destined to call her blessed ; for, in speaking of her, they 
almost invariably withhold from her the title of blessed, preferring 
to call her the Virgin, or Mary the Virgin, or the Mother of Jesus. 
And while Protestant churches will resound with the praises of 
Sarah and Rebecca and Rachel, of Miriam and Ruth, of Esther 
and Judith, of the Old Testament, and of Elizabeth and Anna, of 
Magdalen and Martha, of the New, the name of Mary, the Mo- 
ther of Jesus, is uttered with bated breath, lest the sound of her 
name should make the preacher liable to the charge of supersti- 
tion." 

On this important subject of honoring the Most Holy Virgin, 
we have only to examine both sides of the question, by recalling 
to mind who honor her and who do not ; and no person of reli- 
gious principles and sound common sense will long hesitate as 
to the side on which he should range himself. 

Who honor Mary ? 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 2 7 

" Because He that is mighty hath done great 
things to me ; and holy is His name. 

" And His mercy is from generation unto gene- 
ration, to them that fear Him. 

" He hath showed might in His arm ; He hath 
scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. 



(1) Almighty God honored her for ever by preserving her from 
original sin, and by sending her an archangel to announce the 
coming of the world's Redeemer. 

(2) Jesus Christ, the Son of God, bestowed upon her a glory 
everlasting by becoming her Son. 

(3) Mary herself, inspired by the Holy Ghost, declares that " all 
generations shall call her blessed." 

(4) The Archangel Gabriel styles her " full of grace " and 
" blessed among women." 

(5) St. Elizabeth, mother of the great St. John the Baptist, in- 
spired by the Holy Ghost, styles her "blessed among women " 
and " the mother of my Lord." 

(6) The Catholic Church, " the pillar of truth," honors her, age 
after age, above all creatures, and styles her the " Queen of 
Saints," the " Queen of Angels," and the " Mother of God." 

Who dishonor Mary by refusing to honor her? The fanatical 
followers of Luther, Calvin, Knox, Henry VIII, John Wesle)^, 
and other so called Christians. To them we look not for the 
truth. " You change," said the great Bossuet to Protestants, 
" and that which changes is not the truth." No Protestant ever saw 
the Blessed Mary, and Protestants, therefore, can speak of her 
not from the depth of knowledge and affection, but from ihe 
abundance of their ignorance and malignity. 

Who, then, can hesitate, even for a moment, to range himself 
under the banner of the Most Blessed Virgin, and on the side of 
God, the Bible, the Archangel Gabriel, St. Elizabeth, and the Holy 
Catholic Church? 



28 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" He hath put down the mighty from their 
seat, and hath exalted the humble. 

" He hath tilled the hungry with good things ; 
and the rich He hath sent away empty. 

" He hath received Israel His servant^ being 
mindful of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers 
— to Abraham and his seed for ever." 2 '" 

Mary remained three months in her cousin's 
country-house, which was in a fertile valley near 
the city of Aim She then returned home. But 
now we find ourselves on the threshold of a 
mighty event. 

" It came to pass," writes St. Luke, " that in 
those days there went out a decree from Caesar 
Augustus, that the whole world should be en- 
rolled. This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, 
the Governor of Syria. And all went to be en- 
rolled — every one into his own city. 

" And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of 
the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of 
David, which is called Bethlehem 23 — because he 
was of the house and family of David — to be en- 
rolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with 
child. 

" And it came to pass, that when they were 
there, her days were accomplished, that she 

22 This sublime canticle makes the Most Blessed Mary the first 
Catholic poet, as it is the first Christian poem. 

23 King David was born in Bethlehem. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 29 

should be delivered. And she brought forth her 
first-born Son, 24 and wrapped Him up in swad- 
dling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because 
there was no room for them in the inn. 25 

"And there were in the same country shep- 

24 According to Baronius, our Saviour was born on a Friday. 

25 Bethlehem, at a distance, presents a fine and imposing ap- 
pearance ; but in the interior it is just like the rest of the towns 
of Palestine. I remarked, however, a cheerful appearance amongst 
the Bethlehemites, and I saw them several times laughing, and 
their children playing and enjoying themselves — a thing that I 
had never observed in any other part of Palestine. Bethlehem con- 
tains about 2,500 inhabitants, and they are almost all Christians 
and Catholics. . . . The subterranean church — which is the place 
of the Nativity of our Saviour — is entered by two spiral staircases 
of fifteen steps each, one belonging to the Latins, the other to the 
Armenians and Greeks. This most noted Sanctuary is irregular, 
because it occupies the irregular site of the s'able. It is hewn out 
of the rock, and is a little over thirty-seven feet in length, eleven 
broad, and nine high. The floor, the place where our Saviour 
was born, and the site of the manger, are cased with beautiful 
marble, the work of St. Helena ; but the walls and ceiling are 
covered with fine tapestry — now falling into rags — and nobody 
dares to repair or replace them for fear of the jealousy of the 
schismatics. No light penetrates from the outside ; but the Crypt 
is illuminated by the thirty-two lamps sent by different princes, 
which burn day and night. At the further extremity on the east 
side is the spot where the Blessed Virgin brought forth the Re- 
deemer of the World. This spot is marked by a circle of mar- 
ble covered with jasper, and a circular plate of silver, surround- 
ed by rays of the same material, around which are written the fol- 
lowing words : " Hie de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus 
est" — Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. — Vetro- 
}?iile t Travels, 1869. 



30 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

herds watching, and keeping the night-watches 
over their flock. And behold an angel of the 
Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God 
shone round about them ; and they feared with a 
great fear. And the angel said to them : 

" ' Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings 
of great joy, that shall be to all the people ; for this 
day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the 
Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a 
sign unto you — you shall find the Infant wrapped 
in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.' 

" And suddenly there was with the angel a 
multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, 
and saying : ' Glory to God in the highest ; 

AND ON EARTH PEACE TO MEN OF GOOD WILL.' 

" And it came to pass, after the angels departed 
from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to 
another ; ' Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let 
us see this word that is come to pass, which the 
Lord hath showed to us.' 

" And they came with haste ; and they found 
Mary and Joseph, and the Infant lying in the 
manger. And seeing, they understood of the 
word that had been spoken to them concerning 
this Child. And all that heard wondered at those 
things that were told them by the shepherds. 

" But Mary kept all these words, pondering 
them in heart. And the shepherds returned, 
glorifying and praising God, for all the things 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 31 

they had heard and seen, as it was told unto 
them." 

" What lovely Infant can this be 
That in the Httle crib I see ? 
So sweetly on the straw it lies — 
It must have come from Paradise. 

Who is that Lady kneeling by, 
And gazing on so tenderly? 
Oh ! that is Mary ever blest — 
How full of joy her holy breast ! 

What man is that who seems to smile, 
And look so blissful all the while ? 
'Tis holy Joseph, good and true — 
The Infant makes him happy too." 

On the eighth day after His birth, the Son of 
God was circumcised, and named Jes-us, in ac- 
cordance with the command of His heavenly 
Father. 26 Doubtless many of the good, simple 
people came daily to adore the wonderful Babe 

26 The priest enquired of the holy spouses what name they in- 
tended to give to the circumcised Child. Our sweet Lady, always 
attentive to the respect which she bore to St. Joseph, requested 
him to mention it. Turning towards her with veneration, the 
saint intimated that so sweet a name should be pronounced by 
her lips — when, by a divine impulse, Mary and Joseph said at 
the same moment: "Jesus is His name." "In this you are of 
one mind," replied the priest, " and great is the name you give 
to the Infant." While in the act of writing it, he was touched 
by a great interior tenderness, saying to them : " I assure you 
that I believe this Child will be a great prophet of the Lord." — 
Cite' Mystique de Dieu. 



2,2 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

in the manger. But a miracle of greater celebrity 
soon brought the first converts of the Gentile 
world 27 to the same lowly crib. " The shepherds 
of Judea had led the way," writes Orsini; "it 
was for kings and sages to follow." 

" Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of 
Juda, iu the days of King Herod," writes St. 
Matthew, " behold, there came wise men 28 from 
the East to Jerusalem, saying : ' Where is He 
that is born King of the Jews ? For we have 
seen His star in the East, and are come to adore 
him.' 

" And King Herod hearing this was troubled, 
and all Jerusalem with him. And assembling to- 
gether all the chief priests and the Scribes of the 
people, he enquired of them where Christ should 
be born. But they said to him : ' In Bethlehem 
of Juda. For so it is written by the prophet': 

"And thou Bethlehem the land of Juda art not 
the least among the princes of Juda ; for out of thee 
shall come forth the Ruler that shall rule my people 
Israel. 

" Then Herod, privately calling the wise men, 
learned diligently of them the time of the star 
which appeared to them ; and sending them into 

27 That is, all nations except the Jews. 

28 The Magi, or wise men, according to tradition, were kings, and 
three in number. Their country, it seems, was Persia, and their 
names — Gaspar, Melchior, and Baltassar. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. $3 

Bethlehem, said : ' Go and diligently enquire after 
the Child ; and when you have found Him, bring 
me word again, that I also may come and adore 
Him.' Who having heard the king, went their 
way ; and behold the star which they had seen in 
the East, went before them, until it came and 
stood over where the Child was. 

" And seeing the star, 29 they rejoiced with ex- 
ceeding great joy. And entering into the house, 
they found the Child with Mary His Mother, and 
falling down they adored Him. And opening 
their treasures, they offered Him gifts — gold, 
frankincense, and myrrh. And having received 
an answer in sleep that they should not return to 
Herod, they went back another way into their 
country." 

Forty days after the birth of our Lord, the Most 
Blessed Virgin prepared to return to Jerusalem 
in order to fulfil the law of Moses, which pre- 

29 As to the nature of this wonderful star, it is useless to add 
conjecture to conjecture. Science knows nothing about it ; and 
it has not pleased God to gratify our curiosity on the point. It 
is in accordance with reason, however, to assume that the star 
which guided the Magi was not one of those immense suns— com- 
monly called stars— that light up the firmament, but some small 
luminous body provided for the occasion. The learned Father 
De Ligny, S.J., is of the opinion that it "was not a real star, 
but a meteor more brilliant than stars usually are, inasmuch as 
its lustre was not eclipsed by the brightness of daylight." "A 
new star," says the great St. Augustine, " appeared at the birth 
of Him whose death was to obscure the ancient sun." 



34 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

scribed the purification of mothers and the re- 
demption of the first-born. This law, it is true, 
applied not to Mary. Though she was the mother 
of the Redeemer, she was still the purest of vir- 
gins. But like Christ Himself she wished " to 
fulfil all justice." " For the sake of example," 
writes Bossuet, " she willingly submitted to a law 
which was in no way binding on her, because the 
secret of her virginal maternity was unknown." 

Scarcely had Mary, Joseph, and the Holy Infant 
entered the Temple for the purpose of making 
the necessary offering, 30 when Simeon, a venera- 
ble old man, followed. He had been anxiously 
" waiting for the consolation of Israel." " And 
he received an answer from the Holy Ghost," 
says St. Luke, " that he should not see death be- 
fore he had seen Christ of the Lord." 

When Simeon saw the Divine Child, he took 
Him in his arms, and blessed God, exclaiming: 

" Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O 
Lord, according to Thy word, in peace. Be- 
cause my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which 
Thou hast prepared before the face of all people 
—a light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and 
the glory of Thy people Israel." 

The Most Holy Virgin and St. Joseph " won- 
dered at those things which were spoken con- 

30 The offering was two doves for sacrifice. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 35 

cerning Him. And Simeon blessed them," con- 
tinues the Evangelist, " and said to Mary His 
Mother: 'Behold this Child is set for the fall 
and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and 
for a sign which shall be contradicted. And thy 
own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many 
hearts thoughts may be revealed." 

The Holy Family returned to Nazareth, but 
their stay there was to be short. One night 
an angel appeared to St. Joseph in his sleep. 
" Arise," whispered the messenger of Heaven, 
" and take the Child and His Mother, and fly 
into Egypt, and be there until I tell thee. For 
it w T ill come to pass that Herod 31 will seek the 
Child to destroy Him." 

The Holy Virgin and St. Joseph asked the 
blessing of the Divine Child, which He bestowed 
in a manner not to be mistaken. Then, gather- 
ing their humble garments, they departed a little 
after midnight, making use of the same beast 
of burden 32 which they had brought from Naza- 
reth to Bethlehem. 33 The soft moonlight illu- 
mined the dreary earth, and guided the lone, 
silent march of the blessed travellers. " The 

31 Three Herods are mentioned in the New Testament. This 
Herod, surnamed the Great, was the first of his family who reigned 
in Judea. 

32 An ass, which in Palestine is a beautiful animal. 
83 •' Cite Mystique de Dieu." 



36 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

weather was still cold," 34 says St. Bonaventure, 
" and, while crossing Palestine, the Holy Family 
had to choose the wildest and least frequented 
roads." 

The poor but illustrious fugitives hastily passed 
over hill, and plain, and valley, and often by the 
secluded den of the murderous robber. Then 
came the perilous desert. On leaving the city 
of Gaza, whose decaying towers re-echoed the 
hoarse murmur of the waves, they saw before 
them only immense wastes of sand, dreary, deso- 
late, and frightful in their wild nakedness. A 
scorching wind agitated the desert, and a fiery 
sky seemed to change the very face of nature. 
At length, after a long and painful journey of 
about four hundred and twenty miles, the Holy 
Family reached the outskirts of the pagan but 
historic land of Egypt. 35 

As the weary travellers entered the gate of the 
famous city of Heliopolis, 36 a majestic tree under 
which they passed bowed down to the earth in 
honor of the God of nature. Near this city was 

34 It was about the middle of February. 

35 In the " Cite Mystique de Dieu " it is stated that the journey 
was over six hundred miles, and occupied more than fifty days. 
According to the same work, when Jesus entered Egypt " the idols 
fell with a loud noise, the temples sank into ruins, and the altars 
were overthrown." 

36 Heliopolis signifies the city of the sun. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 37 

a pretty village, shaded with lofty sycamores, and 
having the only fountain of fresh water in Egypt. 
There, in a poor habitation, the Holy Family found 
rest and safety ; at last they were free from the 
power and malignity of Herod. 

But now came a time of toil, exile, and extreme 
poverty. " As they were poor," writes the great 
St. Basil, " it is clear that they had to work very 
hard in order to procure the necessaries of life ; 
and even these — were they always able to obtain 
them?" " It often happened," says Landolph of 
Saxony, " that the Child Jesus, pressed by hun- 
ger, asked His Mother for bread when she had 
none to give Him." 37 

When the infant Saviour was a year old, He 
first broke silence, and spoke in a distinct voice 
to his faithful foster-father. " My father," said 
the little Jesus, as He rested in His Mother's 
arms, " I am come from heaven to be the light 
of the world, and as a good shepherd, to seek and 
to know my sheep, and to give them the food of 
eternal life. I desire that you may both become 



37 The following paragraph relates to the early experiences of the 
Holy Family in Egypt : " St. Joseph having received payment 
for certain work, he made a little bedstead, entirely of wood, 
for the Mother, and a cradle for the Infant. For himself he pre- 
pared no other bed than the earth. Nor was there any furniture 
in the house, till, by the sweat of his brow, he earned money to 
purchase some necessary articles." — Cite* Mystique de Dieu. 



38 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

children of the light, since you are so near to its 
Source." 38 

Soon after this He said to the Most Holy Vir- 
gin : " My Mother, you will clothe me in a long 
tunic of a plain color. I will wear none but it. 
It shall grow with me, and it shall be for this that 
they will cast lots after my death." This sweet 
Mother did as she was desired, and spun, wove, 
and made the seamless tunic, which lasted the 
Son of God during His mortal life. 39 

Even to this day tradition recalls the memora- 
ble sojourn of the Holy Family in the land of 
the Pharaos. The majestic sycamore, in whose 
grateful shade Mary loved to sit with the Divine 
Child on her knee, is still pointed out, after the 
lapse of over eighteen centuries. 40 

38 " Cite Mystique de Dieu." 

39 The Queen of Heaven provided wool of the natural color, of 
which she spun and made a little tunic — all of one piece. Then 
she wove it on a frame. There was mystery in making this tunic 
without seam. On the prayer of our Blessed Lady, it changed its 
natural hue imo another, between a violet and silver color, very 
perfect, so that the shade could not be distinguished. — CitJ Mys- 
tique de Dieu. 

40 It is called the " Tree of the Virgin Mother," and is situated in 
the village of Matarieh — the same in which the Holy Family lived 
— a few miles distant from Cairo, and in the immediate neighbor- 
hood of the ancient Heliopolis, whose site is now occupied on'yby 
a few scattered ruins and a picturesque monolith over seventy feet 
high. Near this monolith is the village of Matarieh, now a heap 
of houses in a state of ruin, presenting a most wretched appear- 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 39 

After the Holy Family had spent about seven 
years in Egypt, an angel appeared to St. Joseph 
in his sleep. " Arise," said he, " and take the 
Child and His Mother, and go into the land of 
Israel. For they are dead that sought the life of 
the Child." The guardian of Jesus and Mary did 
as he was commanded. " And coming," says the 
Holy Book, " he dwelt in a city called Nazareth, 
that it might be fulfilled which was said by the 
prophets — ' that he shall be called a Nazarite. ' " 

Again the Holy Family were in their humble 
home, and again it was a life of cheerful toil, light- 
ed up by the sacred presence of the Holy Child. 



ance, but surrounded, however, by large and well -cultivated gar- 
dens, in the centre of which rises, with an imposing appearance, 
the great tree of the Blessed Virgin — an old sycamore. It is very 
large. Seven men could hardly span the lower part of its trunk. 
Its age is unknown, but by the concentric circles which a section 
of one of its largest branches, which has been detached from the 
trunk for some years past, presents, we may conclude that it has 
withstood the storms of centuries. The present Viceroy of Egypt, 
at the time of the inauguration of the Suez Canal, presented this 
sycamore to France, in accordance with the desire expressed by 
the Empress Eugenie, who went to see it. She had it surround- 
ed with an elegant railing, and appointed two guardians to pro- 
tect it and take care of the lilies and geraniums which she caused 
to be planted around it. These guardians are still paid by 
France. This tree is held in great veneration not only by the 
Christians but even by the Arabs. Natives and foreigners gather 
its leaves, to which they attribute healing virtues. — The Ave 
Maria, 1878. 



40 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

The Most Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph ob- 
served faithfully the law of their fathers, and went 
every year to Jerusalem in order to celebrate the 
Passover. When Jesus was twelve years old, they 
made the journey as usual. It took the pilgrims 
four days to reach the Holy City, then filled with 
countless multitudes. 41 

When the festival was over, Mary and Joseph 
set out for home, while Christ remained in Jeru- 
salem ; "and," says St. Luke, " His parents knew 
it not. 42 And thinking that He was in the com- 
pany, they came a day's journey, and sought Him 
among their kinsfolks and acquaintance ; and not 
finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking 
Him. 

" And it came to pass, that after three days they 
found Him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of 
the doctors, hearing them and asking them ques- 
tions. And all that heard Him were astonished 
at His wisdom and His answers." 

It was thus the Divine Boy was occupied when 
His Mother made her way through the doctors, 

41 According to Josephus, the festival of the Passover gathered 
to Jerusalem about 2,500,000 persons. 

42 They " knew it not," because, according to St. Epiphanius, 
the men went in troops, separated from the women. It is easy 
to understand that Mary and Joseph, thus separated, might each 
think that Jesus was with the other. It was only in the evening, 
however, when the travellers assembled together, that the truth 
became known. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 41 

with a look of mingled joy, wonder, and tender 
reproach. "Son!" said she mildly, "why hast 
Thou done so to us? Behold, Thy father and I 
have sought Thee sorrowing." The answer was 
dry and mysterious : " How is it that you sought 
me? Did you not know that I must be about my 
Father's business?" 

Mary and Joseph were silent. It seems that at 
the moment they failed to grasp the drift of His 
reply. But " He went down with them," con- 
tinues the Evangelist, " and came to Nazareth, 
and was subject to them. And His Mother kept 
all these words in her heart. And Jesus ad- 
vanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God 
and men." 

For many years the life of the Holy Family is 
lost to the gaze of the world. It is unknown to 
history. But this was doubtless the time in which 
Mary spent her best and brightest days. Life is 
not happiest when it rolls on with the noise of the 
winter torrent; its most precious hours are those 
which glide gently by like the calm current of 
some silvery stream. 

But the clouds began to gather. St. Joseph 
grew very feeble during the last years of his life. 
He was assailed by a long and severe illness ; and 
finally, at the urgent request of our Blessed Lady, 
he ceased working. " I will now labor for you," 
said this heavenly Woman, " in testimony of my 



42 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

gratitude, and as long as the Lord shall give us 
life." 

Thus Mary toiled with more than heroic devo- 
tion for the support of Christ and St. Joseph. 
God so willed it, in order that her merits and vir- 
tues might reach the sublime pinnacle of perfec- 
tion, and shine as an example which may well put 
the children of Adam to shame. 

At this time the Immaculate Virgin was thirty- 
three years of age, and, according to Mary of 
Agreda, her holy form retained all its natural 
perfections. Her pure and beautiful countenance 
was the admiration of the angels. It was the mir- 
ror of her own peerless soul. 

Our Blessed Redeemer had just reached His 
twenty-sixth year when the Angel of Death called 
away the noble St. Joseph. The head of the 
Holy Family was no more. His end was happy. 
Jesus and Mary consoled his last moments. " The 
great ones of Galilee," says Orsini, " died not 
thus. More show and greater ostentation attend- 
ed their departure ; but, at the final moment, they 
had not the glorious prospects of the carpenter 
of Nazareth." 

Christ worked His first miracle at the request 
of His holy Mother. It was at the historic wed- 
ding of Cana. " They have no wine," said the 
sweet, thoughtful Lady. There was a moment's 
hesitation, as His " hour had not yet come " ; but 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 43 

he said to the waiters, " Fill the water- pots with 
water." It was done. " Draw out now," said 
the same divine lips ; and the delicious wine as- 
tonished even the chief steward. 

During the public career of our Lord, we can 
well imagine that Mary's angelic breast was filled 
with mingled joy and anxiety. She followed His 
blessed footsteps. She listened to His words of 
life and power. She bore with matchless forti- 
tude the trials of that busy, troubled period. 

" Loving Jesus more than ever mother loved 
her child," writes Orsini, "yet never did she in- 
trude into His presence when, by so doing, she 
might interfere with the duties of His regenerat- 
ing mission. Never once did she speak to Him 
of her fatigue, her fears, her melancholy forebod- 
ings, or her personal wants." 

But the sublime end came, and Mary stood 
upon Calvary. Our unworthy pen may not de- 
scribe that touching and sacred scene. 

" Under the world's redeeming wood 
The most afflicted Mother stood, 
Mingling her tears with her Son's blood. 

" As that streamed down from every part, 
Of all His wounds she felt the smart — 
What His body, pierced her heart. 43 

43 The Fathers and great Doctors of the Church place the suf- 
ferings of the Most Blessed Virgin on Calvary above those of all 
the martyrs. — Orsini. 



44 Little Lives of the Great Sai?its. 

" Oh ! worse than Jewish heart that could, 
Unmoved, behold the double flood 
Of Mary's tears and Jesus' blood. 



" Great Queen of sorrows ! in thy train 
Let me a mourner's place obtain, 
With tears to cleanse all sinful stain." 44 

" Behold thy Mother," said the dear, dying Lord 
to St. John. A moment passed, He bowed His 
holy head, the earth trembled, rocks were rent, and 
the Redemption of the world was accomplished! 

Forty days after Christ's Ascension into heaven, 
we find the Immaculate Virgin at prayer in the 
" upper chamber," where, in the company of the 
Apostles, she received the Holy Ghost. She was 
the luminous pillar that guided the march of the 
infant Church. To her the Evangelists came for 
light ; 45 the Apostles for unction, courage, and con- 

44 Stabat Mater. 

45 The Church styles her " Queen of Evangelists." Who other 
than Mary, and likewise who better than she, could have made 
known the mystery of the Incarnation, of the Annunciation ; the 
promises of the angel ; the visit to Elizabeth ; the hymn with 
which God that day inspired her ; the manger at Bethlehem ; the 
adoration of the angels, of the shepherds, and of the Magi ; the pre- 
sentation in the Temple ; the canticle of Simeon ; the flight into 
Egypt ; and the finding of the child Jesus amid the doctors ? — of 
all these Mary alone held the secret. " She had kept them, pon- 
dering them in her hea-it" remarks the Evangelist who has relat- 
ed them, as if by these words he sought to indicate whence the 
knowledge thereof had been so directly and faithfully transmit- 
ted to him. — Abbe Baunard. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 45 

stancy ; the afflicted for spiritual consolation ; and 
all went away praising and blessing the ever- 
blessed Mary. 

St. John the Evangelist, her adopted son, took 
this sweet, Holy Mother under his protection. 
They lived in Jerusalem. 46 But of this period his- 
tory knows next to nothing. It is hidden with 
God. It would, indeed, be inspiring to penetrate 
into the last years of Mary's immaculate life, in 
order to study closely that loft}- ideal of human 
perfection. But the true sign and special excels 
lence of that matchless perfection is to remain 
hidden ; and, for the world, its hidden obscurity, 
is the best example and the highest instructions 

The traditions of the early Church, however, 
have preserved the remembrance of the Mother 
of God's manners and personal appearance in her 
last years. " In every action," says Nieephorus, 4 / 
" she evinced gravity, dignity, and honor. She- 
spoke little, and only when it was necessary. To 
others she willingly listened. She was gentle,,, 
humble, and affable, rendering to every one the 
respect they deserved. She ignored laughter,, 

46 Some writers represent the Most Blessed Virgin -as residing 
at Ephesus ; but, at present, that opinion seems to be abandoned. 
"According to impartial and severe truth/* says Baunard,. 
" Mary lived and died in Jerusalem." — Life of the Apostle St.. 
John. 

47 Nicephorus was a Greek monk and historian of the fourteenth 
century. 



46 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

trouble, and anger ; but she was horrified at wick- 
edness. Her eyes were brilliant, but dimmed and 
hollowed from weeping. Her hands were blood- 
less and transparent ; and all her features were 
sharpened by constant suffering." St. Denis the 
Areopagite, who witnessed the death of the Most 
Blessed Virgin, tells us that even then she was 
still strikingly beautiful. 

At length there came a day, lovely and solemn, 
when the peerless soul of Mary winged its flight 
to heaven. The end is thus recounted by Nice- 
phorus : 

M In those days an angel was sent to Mary by 
her Son, in order to warn her that the time was 
near to return to Him, as an angel had formerly 
given her notice that God was to come to her. 

11 Having learned through him that her day was 
at hand, her heart was filled with very great, joy ; 
and, having made it known to her friends and to 
her relatives, she prepared herself for her final 
passage. Then, soon after, she was forced to take 
to her bed in the dwelling she occupied upon 
Mount Sion. 

" There was St. John, who had sheltered her, 
and with him all the illustrious Christians living 
in Jerusalem, who were attached to Mary either 
by relationship, by veneration, or by friend- 
ship. 

•' Then Mary gave orders to the Virgin Disci- 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 47 

pie, and to the others assisting, to distribute her 
two tunics to those of the widows in her vicinity 
who towards her had testified the most affec- 
tion. 

" Hearing her speak in that manner, all shed 
abundant tears over the solitude wherein they 
would be left by the departure of Mary. 

" Finally, her Divine Son descended from hea- 
ven, with the countless army of holy angels, to re- 
ceive that soul so entirely celestial. 

" The Apostles, likewise, had assembled from 
all parts, and Mary, seeing them gathered around 
her with lighted torches, bade them adieu with 
great gladness, giving thanks to her Son. 

" Then she fell back, dying, upon her bed, join- 
ing her hands gravely and religiously, and de- 
cently disposing her venerable body — purer than 
the sun. ' Be it done to me according to thy 
word,' she whispered, and at once seemed to fall 
asleep. 

" And thus, surrounded by all those who were 
most dear to her, did she yield up her blessed 
soul." 

Her precious body was laid in the tomb, but 
there it was not to repose. It was too pure to 
feel the cold breath of decay. It soon rejoined 
the glorified soul, and nothing more remained of 
Mary in this world. Crowned in the heights of 
Heaven was she — 



48 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" Who so above 

All mothers shone — 
The Mother of 

The Blessed One." 

" Mary, so beautiful and bright, 
More lovely than the morning light, 
I pray to thee, look down on me, 
Sweet Star that shines o'er life's dark sea." 48 

^Devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin is as old as the Church. 
A glance at its history in Europe would carry us into the lives of 
all great and good Catholics, and through all that is most beauti- 
ful in poetry, oratory, painting, and architecture It is the same 
in the New World. The great Columbus so loved the Immacu- 
late Mother that, before setting forth on that immortal voyage in 
which the size of the world's map was doubled, he h..d his own 
ship blessed, and named the Holy Mary. He called the second 
island he discovered after the Queen of Heaven. With a banner 
of the Blessed Virgin borne before him, the swift and hardy gen- 
ius of Cortez conquered the vast pagan empire of Mexico. The 
bold and chivalrous Champlain carried the name o! Mary through 
the gigantic forests of Canada. The pious and gallant De Mai- 
sonneuve — chaste knight of the seventeenth century— founded 
Ville Marie, or the town of Mary, now the flourishing commer- 
cial city of Montreal. Centuries ago the Jesuit Fathers — glori- 
ous pioneers of the Faith — made her sweet name known in the 
wigwams of the red man from the shores of the Great Lakes to the 
Gulf of Mexico. On discovering the Mississippi, Father Mar- 
quette, S.J., called it the Immaculate Conception. The fair and 
holy Margaret Bourgeois founded the first religious order in the 
New World, and happily named it the " Sisters of the Congrega- 
tion of Our Lady." It was on the feast of the Annunciation that 
the Catholic Pilgrim Fathers took formal possession of Mary- 
land. The first town in that State was named St Mary's. The 
two oldest Catholic seats of learning in Maryland are called after 
the Mother of God. To-day over one dozen Catholic colleges in 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 49 

the United States bear the name of Mary. The Seminary of Our 
Lady of Angels stands like a sentinel of Truth near Niagara's 
mighty fall, and the University of Notre Dame is a growing io.- 
tress of Faith and knowledge in the great West. Laval, Cana- 
da's Catholic university, proclaims to the world that it is under 
the protection of the Immaculate Virgin ; and the most magnifi- 
cent church in the Dominion glories in the name of Notre Dame. 
In May, 3846, the bishops of this Republic, assembled in the 
Sixth Council of Baltimore, solemnly decreed that "the Most 
Blessed Virgin conceived without sin is chosen as the Pa- 
troness of the United States." The Catholics of our coun- 
try possess in the Ave Maria, founded by the venerable Father 
Sorin, C.S.C., the only periodical in America, and perhaps in 
the world, wholly devoted to Mary. Her bright name is borne 
by twenty of our cathedrals. In short, countless towns and 
cities from the majestic St. Lawrence to the great Rio de la Plata 
have reared splendid churches under her name and protection ; 
and from the historic rock of Quebec to the distant shores of 
Chili, the pealing sound of the Angelus bell wafts her praises on 
high and calls the faithful to prayer. 



JSmnt %tm$ t 



THE SPOUSE OF THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN, THE 
FOSTER-FATHER OF JESUS CHRIST, AND PATRON OF 
THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH.* 

DIED A.D. 22. a 



T. JOSEPH, 3 whose glory is as old as 
Christianity and as wide as the world, 
was nobly descended from the ancient 
patriarchs and the greatest of the kings of Juda. 
His life has not been written by men. The Holy 
Spirit himself has recounted the principal actions 
in his career. 

He was born at Nazareth, but reverses of for- 
tune, in which we can trace the hand of God, led 
him to Jerusalem. The Divine Redeemer was 
about to visit this sin-stained world. In the na- 

1 The great and holy Pius IX. proclaimed St. Joseph " Patron 
of the Universal Church" shortly a r ter the Council of the Vatican. 

2 This date is founded on the account given by the Venerable 
Mary of Agreda in her celebrated work called "Cite Mystique 
de Dieu," wherein it is stated that St. Joseph, at the date of his 
holy death, was sixty years of age, a little more than twenty- 
seven of which he had spent in the society of the Most Blessed 
Virgin. 

3 Joseph is from the Hebrew, and signifies he shall add. 

50 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 5 1 

tural order of things, He would require a pro- 
tector and the Most Holy Mary would need a 
virtuous companion. But who could be found 
worthy of those lofty distinctions? There was 
one. It was Joseph. 

When thirty-three years of age, he was espous- 
ed to the Most Blessed Virgin. 4 He was then, it 
is said, well made, agreeable in person, and with 
a countenance which beamed with inexpressible 
modesty and goodness. At the age of twelve he 
had made a vow of chastity, and his life was as 
pure as a lily. 

St. Joseph seems for a time to have been un- 
acquainted with the fact that the Holy Spirit had 
accomplished the mystery of the Incarnation in 
his Immaculate Spouse. He was aware of his 
own chaste conduct towards her; but many an 
anxious thought crossed his upright mind on find- 
ing that, in spite of the holiness of her life, he 

4 Others aspired to that honor, but the divine will was mani- 
fested by a miracle. The various suitors deposited their wands 
in the Temple over night, and next morning the rod of the just 
Joseph, like that of Aaron, was found to have budded forth into 
leaves and flowers. The painters do not forget this beautiful 
incident. 

Writing of this, Mary of Agreda says : " All were engaged in 
prayer when they saw blossoms burst forth from the rod borne by 
Joseph, and at the same instant a beautiful dove was seen to 
descend and to alight on the head of the saint." According to 
the same authority, he was related to the Immaculate Virgin in 
the third degree. 



52 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

might well be assured that she was about to be- 
come a mother. 5 

He was, however, as the Holy Book styles him, 
M a just man," and, of course, possessed of ail 
the virtues, especially mildness and charity. So 
after carefully weighing the whole affair in his 
mind, he determined to leave our Blessed Lady 
without saying a word. He neither accused nor 
condemned. He committed the matter to God, 
and God mercifully sent an angel from heaven to 
clear away his doubts, and to reveal to him the 
adorable mystery of the Incarnation. 

" But while he thought on these things," says 
the first of the Evangelists, " behold, the angel of 
the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying : 
1 Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee 
Mary thy wife ; for that which is conceived in 
her is of the Holy Ghost. 

"'And she shall bring forth a Son ; and thou 
shalt call his name Jesus; for He shall save His 
people from their sins.' 

B Mar>' had not informed him of anything. There were two 
causes for her silence : (i) her confidence in God, in whose care 
for her reputation she reposed entire confidence ; (2) her prudence 
— an occurrence of this nature could not be credited on her re- 
port. Heaven must speak to make it credible. — De Ligny. 

Undoubtedly God could have shortened these sufferings of 
Joseph by sooner revealing to him the mystery of Mary's preg- 
nancy ; but his virtue would not then have been put to the test. 
— Bossuet. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 53 

" Now all this was done that the word might 
be fulfilled, which the Lord spoke by the prophet, 
saying : 

" ' Behold a Virgin shall be with child, and 
shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call his 
name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, 
God with us.' 

" And Joseph, rising from his sleep, did as the 
angel of the Lord had commanded him." 

The humble house of Joseph, we are told, con- 
sisted of but three chambers. One of these was 
his own bed-room. Another he used as a work- 
shop. 6 The third contained a small bed which 
was made by our saint. Here the Blessed Virgin 
slept and made her abode. It might, in truth, be 
called the apartment of the Queen of Heaven. 

These holy personages kept no servant. Mary 
did her own work. Their nourishment was very 
frugal ; but they partook of it every day to- 
gether. St. Joseph sometimes ate flesh-meat,. 

6 From St. Matthew it appears that he was a carpenter. St. 
Ambrose says he was a carpenter ; but St. Hilary asserts that he 
wrought in iron as a smith. Mary of Agreda speaks of his trade- 
as that of a carpenter. Butler thinks it probable that he worked 
both in wood and iron ; and St. Justin favors this opinion by say- 
ing: ' ' He and Jesus made ploughs and yokes for oxen." 

At the Nazareth of to-day a " little chapel is erected on the site- 
of the workshop of St. Joseph. In this chapel an old wall is to 
be seen which is believed to have formed a part of St. Joseph's. 
house." 



54 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

the Most Holy Virgin never. Their usual diet 
consisted of fish, fruits, bread, and cooked vege- 
tables, taken with great moderation, and varied 
according to circumstances. 7 

The journey to Bethlehem and the birth of 
the infant God in a stable are wonderful events 
known to every one in our day. But St. Joseph 
was the first man to witness them. How tenderly 
he saw and adored the new-born Saviour of the 
world ! How faithfully lie acquitted himself of 
the double charge of educating Jesus and guard- 
ing His Blessed Mother! 

" He was truly," says St. Bernard, " the faith- 
ful and prudent servant whom the Lord appoint- 
ed master over His household — His foster-father, 
the comfort and support of His Mother, and His 
most faithful co-operator in the execution of His 
deepest counsels on earth." 

" What a happiness," continues the same great 
doctor, "not only to see Jesus Christ, but also to 
bear Him, to carry Him in his arms, to lead Him 
from place to place, to embrace and caress Him, 
to feed Him, and to be a witness of all the sub- 
lime secrets which were concealed from the prin- 
ces of this world ! " 

We would be ungrateful to this illustrious saint 
if we did not remember that it is to him, as an in- 
strument of God, that we are indebted for the 

7 " Cite Mystique de Dieu." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 55 

preservation of the Divine Infant from the fiend- 
ish malignity of King" Herod. 

" An angel of the Lord," says St. Matthew, 
" appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: ' Arise and 
take the Child and His Mother, and fly into 
Egypt; and be there until I shall tell thee. For 
it will come to pass that Herod will seek the 
Child to destroy Him.' 

" Who rising up, took the Child and His Mother 
by night, and retired into Egypt. 

" And He was there until the death of Herod, 
that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by 
the prophet, saying : ' Out of Egypt have I called 
my Son.' " 

There is a tradition, handed down by the 
Fathers of the Church, that upon the Holy 
Family's entering the land of Egypt, the pre- 
sence of the Child Jesus had the miraculous effect 
of striking all the pagan oracles of that supersti- 
tious country dumb. The statues of the gods 
trembled, and in many places fell to the ground. 

The Holy Family fixed their abode at Helio- 
polis. On entering this famous city, they passed 
under a stately sycamore-tree, which gracefully 
bent down its branches as an act of homage to 
the Son of God. It stands to this day, a relic 
of venerable antiquity. 8 Thus the city of the 

8 It is asserted that its leaves afterwards cured many diseases. 
Of this renowned tree a learned traveller writes: " I took the 



56 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

sun, 9 in accordance with its name, saw the true 
Sun of Grace and Justice. 

Several years passed away, and Joseph was 
commanded to leave the land of the Pharaos. 

" Now Herod being dead," writes St. Matthew, 
" behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep 
to Joseph in Egypt, saying: 

"'Arise and take the Child and His Mother, 
and go into the land of Israel ; for they are dead 
who sought the life of the Child.' 

11 Who, rising up, took the Child and His Mo- 
ther, and came into the land of Israel. 

14 But hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea 
in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to 

road for Heliopolis, which is about three miles east of Cairo. 
. . . We arrived at the Garden of Matarieh, where there is a 
famous sycamore-tree which, as a time-honored tradition says, 
had the honor of sheltering the Holy Family in their flight into 
Egypt. It is a noble and venerable-looking tree. I knelt on 
that spot which had been sanctified by the sacred presence of the 
Holy Family. I prayed there, meditating on the great mystery 
of the flight into Egypt. I kissed the ground consecrated by the 
feet of our Redeemer, and, gathering some limbs and leaves of 
this holy tree, I mounted my donkey, and in a short time was on 
the site where Heliopolis once stood." — Rev. Dr. Vetromile, Tra- 
vels, 1869. 

9 Heliopolis signifies city of the sun. At present there is 
nothing to indicate its ruins " except an obelisk, seventy feet 
high, which stands alone on a pedestal six feet two inches in dia- 
meter. This obelisk was erected by Ositarsen, 1750 years before 
Christ. It is the oldest monument of its kind in existence." — Dr. 
Vetromile. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 57 

go thither; and being warned in sleep, he retired 
into the parts of Galilee. 

"And he came and dwelt in a city called Naza- 
reth, that it might be fulfilled which was said by 
the prophets — that he shall be called a Naza- 
rene." 

St. Joseph was a strict observer of the law of 
Moses, and, in conformity to its directions, he 
went yearly to Jerusalem to celebrate the Pass- 
over. When our Saviour had reached the age 
of twelve years, He accompanied His parents to 
the Holy City. After performing the usual cere- 
monies of the Feast, the Blessed Virgin and St. 
Joseph directed their steps homeward. 

But the Divine Boy u remained in Jerusalem, 
and His parents knew it not. 

" And thinking He was in the company, they 
came a day's journey, and sought Him among 
their kinsfolks and acquaintance. 

"And not finding Him, they returned into Je- 
rusalem, seeking Him. 

" And it came to pass that after three days they 
found Him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of 
the doctors, hearing them and asking them ques- 
tions. 

" And all who heard Him were astonished at 
His wisdom and His answers. 

" And seeing Him, they wondered. And His 
Mother said to Him : ' Son, why hast Thou done 



58 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

so to us ? Behold, Thy father and I have sought 
Thee sorrowing.' 

"And He said to them: 'How is it that you 
sought me ? Did you not know that I must be 
about the things that are my Father's?' 

"And they understood not the word that He 
spoke unto them. 

"And He went down with them, and came to 
Nazareth, and was subject to them. And His 
Mother kept all these words in her heart. 

" And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age, and 
grace with God and men." 10 

How full of rich, suggestive thought is the last 
sentence of the Evangelist, " And Jesus advanced 
in wisdom and age, and grace with God and 
men " ! What a bright and precious example for 
the young, what a stimulus even for the old — to 
advance during this short and fleeting life " in wis- 
dom and age, and grace before God and men " ! 

The Holy Book makes no further mention of 
St. Joseph ; but we are not destitute of valuable 
information, from approved sources, in relation to 
the last years of his pure, simple, and beautiful 
life. 11 

The cares, travels, and ceaseless fatigues which 

10 St. Luke, chap. ii. 

11 For the remainder of this sketch we follow in substance the 
account of St. Joseph's last years as given by the Venerable Mary 
of Agreda in her u Cite Mystique de Dieu." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 59 

the great Saint had undergone for the support of 
the Most Holy Virgin and the Divine Child soon 
told on his delicate constitution. Long before old 
age his health began to fail. It seems that during 
the last eight years of his life he ceased working 
on account of his growing infirmities, and at the 
urgent request of the Immaculate Mother herself. 

" I beg of you to cease from this incessant toil 
and repose yourself," said the Blessed Mary to 
our Saint one day. " I will now labor for you, in 
testimony of my gratitude, and as long as the 
Lord shall give us life." 

For some time St. Joseph hesitated, but at 
length her sweet arguments prevailed. He was 
thus relieved from labor, and for the rest of his 
days he gave himself to the practice of virtue and 
the contemplation of those sublime mysteries of 
which he had been a happy witness. With the 
Son of God and His Blessed Mother so near, it is 
not astonishing to learn that our Saint arrived at 
so high a degree of sanctity that next to his Im- 
maculate Spouse — who stands alone among mere 
creatures — he surpassed all men. 

Thus God graciously conducted His servant 
Joseph along the royal road of suffering. It was, 
no doubt, to increase his merits and his crown — 
before his power of gaining merits had ceased — 
that in the last years of his life he was visited 
by certain maladies exceedingly acute ; maladies 



60 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

which caused great debility, and racked his feeble 
body with excessive pain. 

" But when his last hour drew nigh, 
Oh ! full of joy was his breast ; 
Seeing Jesus and Mary close by, 

As he tranquilly slumbered to rest." 

During the nine days that preceded the death 
of St. Joseph, he was tenderly watched day and 
night by Christ and the Most Blessed Virgin. 12 
It was so arranged that one or the other was 
always present at his bedside. Three times daily 
the angels chanted celestial music for the holy 
patient. Thus cheered and fortified, the precious 
end came, and with his head supported on the 
bosom of the Son of God, and a last benediction 
from the Divine Lips brightening the path to 
eternity, this glorious guardian of the Holy 
Family, at the age of sixty years and some days, 
bade adieu to the toils and hardships of this 
world. 13 

a During the three last years of St. Joseph's life — which were 
those of his greatest suffering — the Holy Virgin never quitted 
him, day or night. If she withdrew for a moment, it was only to 
serve her Divine Son, who united with His Mother in assisting 
our Saint, except when He was unavoidably engaged in other 
works. Hence we may say that never was patient so well served. 
— Cite Mystique de Die it. 

13 Our august Saint was one of those who enjoyed the privilege 
of exemption from the sight of demons at his death. — Cite 1 Mys- 
tique de Dieu. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 61 

As Pharao said to the Egyptians of old in 
their distress, " Go to Joseph/' so may we with 
happy confidence ask Heaven for favors through 
the intercession of him to whom the Son of God 
was subject on earth. 

St. Teresa chose him as the chief patron of her 
Order. " I choose the glorious St. Joseph for my 
patron," she writes, " and I commend myself in 
all things to his special intercession. I do not 
remember ever to have asked of God anything by 
him which I did not obtain. I never knew any 
one who, by invoking him, did not make great ad- 
vances in virtue. He assists all who address 
themselves to him in a manner truly wonderful." " 

" To all who would holily live, 
To all who would happily die, 
St. Joseph is ready to give 

Sure guidance and help from on high." 



14 In the New World devotion to St. Joseph began at an early 
period. Canada chose him as its first patron in 1624. Indian 
war-chiefs, converted to the faith, gloried in bearing his name. 
In 1733 the first Catholic church in Philadelphia was erected 
under the name of St. Joseph. The cathedrals of Wheeling, Co- 
lumbus, La Crosse, and Buffalo are dedicated to God under the 
patronage of St. Joseph. Countless churches bear his name and 
numerous confraternities are formed in his honor. Towns and 
rivers have been called after the head of the Holy Family. The 
city of St. Joseph in Missouri is the see of a Catholic bishop. 
Nearly a dozen colleges and theological seminaries in our coun- 
try bear the honored name of St. Joseph. 



jlmiti f sip i{p J>apiH 

THE PRECURSOR OF OUR DIVINE REDEEMER. 
DIED A.D. 28. ' 




" Unloose, great Baptist, our sin-fettered lips, 

That with enfranchised voice we may proclaim 
The miracles of thy transcendent life, 
Thy deeds of matchless fame." 

f;E is great indeed who is great before God, 
and such was the glorious John 2 the Bap- 
tist. The Church usually celebrates the 
festival of a saint on the day of his death, which 

1 It is to be noted that there is a difference of four years be- 
tween the exact date of the birth of Christ and the date given by 
our common era. The common era was established by the Ca- 
tholic Church towards the commencement of the sixth century, 
as a mark of respect to Jesus Christ. Dennis the Little, in com- 
puting back from his own time, endeavored to fix the epoch of 
the birth of our Lord, which, by mistake, he made to correspond 
to the year 4714 of the Julian period. That was an error of fur 
years. St. John the Baptist really died in the thirty-second year of 
the age of Christ, which, according to our common era, is A.D. 28. 
Our Lord was thirty-three years of age at His death, yet our com- 
mon era makes that blessed event A.D. 29. And though this is 
the year 1SS0 of our common era, it is, strictly speaking, 1884 
years since the birth of Christ. 

2 John is from the Hebrew, and signifies the gracious gift of 
God. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 6$ 

is his birthday to eternal life. But our noble 
Saint is excepted from this rule, because he was 
sanctified in his mother's womb, and came into 
the world pure and holy. 3 

The birth of this illustrious man, who was sent 
as a pioneer to prepare the way for Christ, may 
be ranked with the wonders of history. It is mi- 
raculous, and was ushered in with many prodigies. 

" There was," says the sacred writer, 4 " in the 
days of Herod, King of Judea, a certain priest 
named Zachary, of the course of Abia, 5 and his 
wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name 
Elizabeth. 

" And they were both just before God, walking 
in all the commandments and justifications of the 
Lord without blame. 

" And they had no son; for that Elizabeth was 
barren, and they both were well advanced in 
years. 

" And it came to pass, when he executed the 
priestly function in the order of his course before 
God, according to the custom of the priestly office, 
it was his lot to offer incense, going into the Tem- 

3 The Feast of St. John the Baptist is celebrated on the 24th of 
June — his birthday. 

4 St. Luke. 

5 The family of Abia was one of the twenty-four sacerdotal 
families into which the children of Aaron were divided, in order 
that they might all serve in the Temple by turns. 



64 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

pie of the Lord, and all the multitude of the peo- 
ple was praying without at the hour of incense, 
and there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, 
standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 

" And Zachary seeing him was troubled, and 
fear fell upon him; but the angel said to him: 
* Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard ; and 
thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou 
shalt call his name John. 

" ' And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and 
many shall rejoice in his nativity, for he shall be 
great before the Lord ; and shall drink no wine 
nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the 
Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb. 

" ' And he shall convert many of the children of 
Israel to the Lord their God. 

*" And he shall go before Him in the spirit and 
power of Elias, that he may turn the hearts of 
the fathers unto the children, and the incredulous 
to the wisdom of the just, to prepare unto the 
Lord a perfect people.' 

"Zachary said to the angel: ' Whereby shall I 
know this, for I am an old man, and my wife is 
advanced in years?' 

" And the angel answering, said to him : ' I am 
Gabriel, who stands before God ; and I am sent 
to speak to thee, and to bring thee these good 
tidings. 

" ' And behold thou shalt be dumb, and shalt 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 65 

not be able to speak until the day wherein these 
things shall come to pass ; because thou hast not 
believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in 
their time.' 

" And the people were waiting for Zachary ; 
and they wondered that he tarried so long in the 
Temple. And when he came out he could not 
speak to them, and they understood that he had 
seen a vision in the Temple. And he made signs 
to them, and remained dumb. 

" And it came to pass, after the days of his of- 
fice were accomplished, he departed to his own 
house." 

Elizabeth, in the sixth month of her pregnancy, 
was honored by a visit from the Mother of God, 
in which, at the presence of the Divine Redeemer 
of mankind, the little Baptist was sanctified. 6 On 
this occasion the blessed child, yet unborn, was, 
by an extraordinary privilege, favored with the 
use of reason, and was the first among men who 
beheld Christ, and knew Him before his eyes saw 
the light of this world. His joy was so inex- 
pressible at beholding Him whom the ancient 
prophets had only foreseen in spirit, that he 
leaped with delight in his mother's womb. 

John was born about six months before the 
birth of Christ. The friends and neighbors of 

6 St. Bernard and many other great theologians understand by 
this the gift of sanctifying grace by the remission of original sin. 



64 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

pie of the Lord, and all the multitude of the peo- 
ple was praying- without at the hour of incense, 
and there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, 
standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 

" And Zachary seeing him was troubled, and 
fear fell upon him; but the angel said to him: 
1 Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard ; and 
thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou 
shalt call his name John. 

" ■ And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and 
many shall rejoice in his nativity, for he shall be 
great before the Lord ; and shall drink no wine 
nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the 
Holy Gnost even from his mother's womb. 

" ' And he shall convert many of the children of 
Israel to the Lord their God. 

"' And he shall go before Him in the spirit and 
power of Elias, that he may turn the hearts of 
the fathers unto the children, and the incredulous 
to the wisdom of the just, to prepare unto the 
Lord a perfect people.' 

"Zachary said to the angel: ' Whereby shall I 
know this, for I am an old man, and my wife is 
advanced in years?' 

" And the angel answering, said to him : ' I am 
Gabriel, who stands before God ; and I am sent 
to speak to thee, and to bring thee these g-ood 
tidings. 

" ' And behold thou shalt be dumb, and shalt 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 65 

not be able to speak until the day wherein these 
things shall come to pass ; because thou hast not 
believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in 
their time.' 

" And the people were waiting for Zachary ; 
and they wondered that he tarried so long in the 
Temple. And when he came out he could not 
speak to them, and they understood that he had 
seen a vision in the Temple. And he made signs 
to them, and remained dumb. 

" And it came to pass, after the days of his of- 
fice were accomplished, he departed to his own 
house." 

Elizabeth, in the sixth month of her pregnancy, 
was honored by a visit from the Mother of God, 
in which, at the presence of the Divine Redeemer 
of mankind, the little Baptist was sanctified. 6 On 
this occasion the blessed child, yet unborn, was, 
by an extraordinary privilege, favored with the 
use of reason, and was the first among men who 
beheld Christ, and knew Him before his eyes saw 
the light of this world. His joy was so inex- 
pressible at beholding Him whom the ancient 
prophets had only foreseen in spirit, that he 
leaped with delight in his mother's womb. 

John was born about six months before the 
birth of Christ. The friends and neighbors of 

6 St. Bernard and many other great theologians understand by 
this the gift of sanctifying grace by the remission of original sin. 



68 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

sublime mission. He was the glorious herald of 
the Redemption. He was to prepare the way for 
Jesus Christ. Clothed in the garments of pen- 
ance, he raised his mighty voice ; and the people 
of a sin-stained land listened to him in awe and 
admiration. 

" In those days," writes the first of the Evan- 
gelists, " cometh John the Baptist preaching in 
the desert of Judea, and saying: 'Do penance, 
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 

" For this is he that was spoken of by Isaias 
the prophet, saying: A voice of one crying in the 
desert, Prepare ye the way of the Lord — make straight 
His paths. 

"And the same John had his garment of ca- 
mel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; 
and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 

" Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Ju- 
dea, and the country about the Jordan; and they 
were baptized by him in the Jordan J0 confessing 
their sins. 

ted by the Jewish law to begin the exercise of their functions. — 
Butler. 

10 On the shore of the Jordan there is a Plenary Indulgence. This 
sacred river is about two hundred miles long, and from fifty to 
one hundred and fifty feet wide. It runs from the Sea of Tibe- 
rias into the Dead Sea. and is called in the East by the Arabs 
Bahar-el Arden (River of the Ford), but the Hebrews call it Jar- 
dan (River of Judgment). The current is rapid, and the water is 
brackish. To cross this river one is nearly certain to be murdered 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 69 

" And seeing many of the Pharisees and Saddu- 
cees " coming to his baptism, he said to them : ' Ye 
brood of vipers, who hath showed you to flee from 
the wrath to come ? Bring forth, therefore, fruit 
worthy of penance. 

" 4 And think not to say within yourselves, We 
have Abraham for our father. For I tell you 
that God is able of these stones to raise up chil- 
dren to Abraham. 

" ' For now the axe is laid to the root of the 
trees. Every tree, therefore, that doth not yield 
good fruit shall be cut down, and cast into the 
fire. 

" ' I indeed baptize you in water unto penance, 13 

by the savage descendants of the wild Ismael, unless accom- 
panied by a strong caravan. — Vetromile. 

St. John the Baptist gave his baptism at a spot on the banks of 
the Jordan called Bethania. " It was at that place," writes the 
Abbe Baunard, " that the Hebrews had forded the Jordan under 
the guidance of Joshua, and it was customary to station thither 
ferry-boats for the convenience of travellers." 

11 These were two sects among the Jews. The Pharisees were 
for the most part notorious hypocrites. The Sadducees were a 
kind of free-thinkers in matters of religion. 

12 The baptism of St. John chiefly represented the manner in 
which the souls of men must be cleansed from all sin and vicious 
habits, to be made partakers in the graces of Christianity. It was 
an emblem of the interior effects of sincere repentance. But it 
differed entirely from the great Sacrament of Baptism which 
Christ soon after instituted, and to which it was much inferior in 
virtue and efficacy. St. John's baptism was a temporary cere- 



jo Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

but He that shall come after me is mightier than 
I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. 13 He 
shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and lire. 

" ' Whose fan is in his hand, and He will tho- 
roughly cleanse His floor, and gather His wheat 
into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with un- 
quenchable fire.' 

" Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jor- 
dan unto John to be baptized by him. 

" But John stayed Him, saying : ' I ought to be 
baptized by Thee, and comest Thou to me?' 

" And Jesus answering, said to him : ' Suffer it 
to be so now. For so it becometh us to fulfil all 
justice.' Then he suffered Him. 1 * 

raony, by which men who were under the Law were admitted to 
some new spiritual privileges, which they had not before, by him 
who was the messenger of Christ and of His new covenant. 
Whence it is called by the Fathers a partition between the Law 
and the Gospel. It prepared men to become Christians, but did 
not make them so. It was not even conferred in the name of 
Christ, or in that of the Holy Ghost. — Butler. 

The baptism of John did not confer the remission of sins ; but 
disposed towards that remission by penance which should follow, 
and which became the next disposition to the baptism of Christ, 
in which alone is to be found the remission of sins. — De Ligny. 

13 Or as another Evangelist has it — " the latchet of whose shoe I 
am not worthy to loose." 

14 Our Saint had then been baptizing about six months. He 
knew Christ by a special revelation. The Saviour of sinners 
was pleased to be baptized among sinners, not to be cleansed 
Himself, but to sanctify the waters, says St. Ambrose — that is, to 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 71 

"And Jesus being baptized, forthwith came out 
of the water; and lo ! the heavens were opened 
to him ; and he saw the spirit of God descending 
as a dove and coming upon Him. 

" And behold a voice from heaven, saying : 
' This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
pleased.' " 

The kindness, charity, and angelic life of St. 
John the Baptist won the hearts of all, and his 
zeal and manly energy gave him a commanding 
influence over the minds of his hearers. He toil- 
ed on, having only God and His holy will in view. 
He boldly reproved the vices of all classes of 
men. With an undaunted authority he raised his 
voice against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the 
profanity of the Sadducees, the grasping extor- 
tion of the publicans, the brutality and injustice 
of the soldiers, and the grossly scandalous life of 
King Herod 15 himself. 

give them the virtue to cleanse away the sins of men. St. Au- 
gustine and St. Thomas Aquinas think that He then instituted 
the holy Sacrament of Baptism, which He soon after adminis- 
tered by His disciples, whom doubtless He had first baptized 
Himself. — Builer. 

15 This Herod, known in history as Herod Antipas, was the son 
of that barbarous Herod who ordered the massacre of the inno- 
cents, hoping to kill the infant Jesus. The tyrant not only mur- 
dered St. John the Baptist, but it was he who sent Christ to Pi- 
late, and had him robed in derision with a white garment. But 
his hour came. In the year 38, under the Emperor Caligula, he 



72 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

King Herod, urged on by a criminal passion, 
had, contrary to all laws human and divine, mar- 
ried Herodias, his sister-in-law, the wife of his 
brother Philip, who was yet alive. St. John 
boldly reprehended the royal sinner. " It is not 
lawful," said the holy Precursor, ''for thee to 
take thy brothers wife." 

Knowing him to be a blessed man, Herod 
feared and reverenced John. He even did many 
things by his advice. But the scandalous con- 
nection which he kept up with the guilty Hero- 
dias was a sore spot which he could not bear to 
have touched; and, of course, ho was highly of- 
fended at the liberty which the great preacher 
took in that direction. Thus, while he respected 
him as a Saint, he hated him as a censor ; and 
felt a violent struggle in his own breast between 
his veneration for the sanctity of the prophet, 
and the pointed reproaches of his nameless con- 
duct. 

Herodias, however, acted like an enraged fury 
of hell. She left no artifice untried to take away 
the life of him who spoke words of warning and 
wisdom, and raised his pure, angelic finger to 
point at her shameless career. The wretched 

fell into disgrace, lost his crown, and was banished into Gaul. 
Josephus assures us that both Herod and Herodias died in ex- 
treme misery. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 73 

woman clamored for his death, and, to content 
her, Herod cast the Saint into prison. 

"And having a mind to put him to death," 
says St. Matthew, "he feared the people; be- 
cause they esteemed him as a prophet. 

" But on Herod's birthday the daughter of 
Herodias danced 16 before them ; and pleased 
Herod. 

16 In itself dancing is an indifferent amusement ; but it is often 
the occasion of sin. Round dances are condemned by good sense 
and Christian modesty : 

" In order that playing and dancing may be lawful," writes the 
holy Doctor, St. Francis de Sales, " we must use them as a re- 
creation, without having any affection for them ; we may use 
them for a short time, but we should not continue till we are 
wearied or stupefied with them ; and we must use them but sel- 
dom, lest we should otherwise turn a recreation into an occupa- 
tion. . . . 

" I have the same opinion of dances, Philothea, that physicians 
have of mushrooms ; as the best of them, in their opinion, are 
good for nothing, so I tell you the best balls are good for nothing. 
If upon some occasion, which you cannot well avoid, you must 
go to a bal!, see that your dancing be properly conducted. But 
you will ask me how must it be conducted ? I answer, with mo- 
desty, gravity, and a good inten'ion" 

The eminent Roger de Rabutin, Count of Bussi, lived for many 
years with dignity and applause at the French Court. In his 
book, " On the Uses of Adversity," addressed to his children, he 
cautions them in the strongest terms against a love of dancing. 
From his own experience he touchingly assures them that this 
amusement is dangerous to many people. " A ball," he writes, 
" is generally a post too hot even for a hermit. If it may be done 
by aged persons without danger, it would be in them ridiculous ; 



74 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" Whereupon he promised, with an oath, to 
give her whatsoever she would ask of him. 

" But she, being instructed before by her mo- 
ther, said: 'Give me here in a dish the head of 
John the Baptist.' 

" And the king was struck sad ; yet because of 
his oath, 17 and for them that sat with him at table, 
he commanded it to be given. 

" And he sent, and beheaded John in prison. 

" And his head was brought in a dish ; and it 
was given to the damsel, and she brought it to 
her mother. 18 

" And his disciples came and took the body, 
and buried it, 19 and came and told Jesus." 

and to persons that are young, let custom say what it will, it is 
dangerous. In a word, I assert that a mixed ball is no place for 
a Christian.*' 

17 It is a sin to take a bad oath, but it is a still greater one to 
keep it. 

18 St. Jerome tells us that the wicked Herod ias made it her in- 
human pastime to pierce the sacred tongue of St. John the Bap- 
tist with a bodkin. 

w " The Baptist's head/' writes Butler, "was discovered at 
Emisa in Syria, in the year 453 and was kept with honor in the 
great church of that city, till, about the year 800, this precious 
relic was conveyed to Constantinople, that it might not be sacri- 
legiously insulted by the Saracens. When that city was taken by 
the French in 1204, Wallo de Sarton, a canon of Amiens, brought 
a part of this head — that is, all the face except the lower jaw — 
into France, and bestowed it on his own church, where it is pre- 
served to this day." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 75 

Thus died the holy, humble, and illustrious 
Precursor of the Divine One, about two years 
and three months after his entrance upon his 
public ministry, and a year before the death of 
our Blessed Redeemer. He was a martyr, a vir- 
gin, a doctor, a prophet, and more than a prophet. 
His immortal eulogy comes from the sacred lips 
of Christ Himself. 

"Jesus," writes the Evangelist, 20 " began to say 
to the multitudes concerning John: ' What went 
you out into the desert to see ? A reed shaken 
with the wind ? 

"'But what went you out to see? A man 
clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are 
clothed in soft garments, are in the houses of 
kings. 

" ' But what went you out to see? A prophet? 
Yea I tell you, and more than a prophet. 

" ' For this isjie of whom it is written: BeJiold 
I send my angel before Thy face, who shall prepare 
the way before Thee. 

" ' Amen I say to you, there hath not risen 
among them that are born of women a greater 21 
than John the Baptist.' " 22 

20 St. Matthew xi. 

21 In the" Litany of the Saints," the Church places St. John the 
Baptist immediately after the Most Blessed Virgin and the 
angels, but before all other saints. 

22 The cathedral of Savannah bears the name of St, John the 



76 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Baptist. The same is true of churches in New York, Brook- 
lyn, Boston, Buffalo, Providence, St. Louis, New Orleans, 
San Francisco, Cincinnati, Ottawa the capital of Canada, and 
many other towns and cities of Nonh America. The French 
Canadians are very devout to the great Precursor of Christ, and 
the name, perhaps, most commonly given to their sons is that 
of John Baptist. Four or five Catholic colleges in this Republic 
bear the honored name of St. John. 



m& %nmn % §mf t 

APOSTLE, MARTYR, AND PATRON OF SPAIN. 
DIED A.D. 43. 




T. JAMES was the first of the apostles 
who had the sublime honor of dying for 
Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith. He 
was surnamed the Great to distinguish him from 
another Apostle of the same name, and was the 
brother of the " beloved disciple," St. John the 
Evangelist. Zebedee and Salome were his pa- 
rents. On his mother's side he was nearly relat- 
ed to our Blessed Lord, 1 before whom he was 
born about twelve years. He was many years 
older than his brother John. 

St. James was born at Bethsaida, in Galilee, to 
which place St. Peter also belonged. One day 

1 It is generally thought that St. James the Great and St. John 
the Evangelist were nearly related to our Lord. Butler says : 
'Salome is otherwise called Mary, and was sister to the Blessed 
Virgin, which some take in the strict sense of the word ; others 
understand by it only cousin-german, according to the Hebrew 
phrase, and think that the Blessed Virgin was an only daughter." 
— Lives of the Saints. 



7 8 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

as Christ was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He 
saw Peter and Andrew fishing. He invited them 
to follow Him. and promised to make them fish- 
ers of men. Passing on a little farther along the 
shore, He saw the two brothers James and John 
in a ship with their father, Zebedee. He called 
them, and, at once, they left their nets and father 
to follow the Master of Life. 

When our Lord formed the College of Apostles, 
St. James and his brother became members of 
that sacred institution. To these two Christ 
gave the title of Boanerges, or the Sons of Thun- 
der. This, it seems, was to denote their active 
zeal. When a town of Samaria refused to enter- 
tain the Redeemer of mankind, they suggested 
that He should call down fire from heaven to con- 
sume it; but He gave them to understand that 
meekness and patience were the celestial arms by 
which they were to conquer the world. 

Christ distinguished St. Peter, St. James, and St. 
John among the other Apostles by many special 
favors. They alone were spectators of his glorious 
transfiguration ; and they alone beheld his agony 
and bloody sweat in the garden. 

On one occasion, the mother of St. James made 
a rather worldly request of our Divine Redeemer. 
She wished Him to grant that her two sons, 
James and John, might have the honor of sitting, 
one on His right and the other on his left in His 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 79 

kingdom. She imagined that Christ was about 
to establish a powerful monarchy on earth. 

" You know not what you ask," replied Christ. 
Then, turning to James and John, He said : " Can 
you drink the chalice that I shall drink ? " 

" We can," they answered with confidence. 

" My chalice," continued the Son of God, " in- 
deed, you shall drink; but to sit on my right 
or left hand is not mine to give you, but for them 
to whom it is prepared by my Father." 

Thus they were promised suffering and a place 
in heaven according to their merits ; nor was it 
long before the promise of Christ was fulfilled to 
both, though St. James was the first to get his 
reward. 

After the Ascension 2 of our Blessed Redeemer 
and the descent of the Holy Ghost, St. James 
left Judea and preached the Faith in various 
countries. At length he arrived in Spain. Here 

2 On the very top of the lovely Mount of Olives there is a small 
octagonal mosque, the remains of a church built there by St. 
Helena. This is erected on the spot whence Christ ascended 
into heaven after His Resurrection. On this rock I saw the 
print of our Lord's left foot. It shows that our Saviour had His 
face towards the west. Here a Plenary Indulgence can be 
gained. The Catholics go thither on Ascension Day to celebrate 
Mass. The place is in charge of a Santon, who receives some 
backsheesh (money) to open the door and show the spot. I 
asked him for some pieces of the rock ; and he broke off a very 
little piece near the print, but he expected more backsheesh, of 
course. — Vetromile, Travels, 1869. 



8o Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

he was the first to announce the Gospel ; and 
hence he has always been venerated by the Span- 
iards as their patron saint. 

During the Apostle's stay in Spain, it is said 
he was favored with a remarkable vision. He 
was living in Saragossa. One night, after a long 
day's preaching, he went out to refresh himself 
by praying near the river Ebro, on which the city 
stands. While at his devotions, he saw the Im- 
maculate Virgin standing before him on a jasper 
pillar, and all around her were multitudes of 
angels, of enrapturing beauty, singing the sweet- 
est hymns he had ever heard. 

St. James wondered how our Blessed Lady 
could be there, because he knew that she was still 
alive, and residing at Jerusalem with his brother, 
St. John. Seeing, however, that it was really she, 
he saluted her with deep veneration. 

She then addressed him, saying : " Build a 
church in this place in my name. I know that 
this part of Spain will be particularly devout to 
me, and from this moment I take it under my 
protection." 

These words were no sooner uttered than the 
Virgin Mother and her troop of beautiful angels 
disappeared. 

St. James lost no time in carrying out her gra- 
cious command. On the very spot where he be- 
held the vision, he erected a chapel, which he 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 8 1 

called Chapel of our Lady of the Pillar. A chapel 
of the same name is there to-day, and is held in 
great veneration by the whole Spanish people. 3 

Eleven years after our Lord's Ascension, St. 
James again returned to Jerusalem. The thunder 
of his eloquence touched many hearts, and con- 
versions were numerous. The Jews, however, 
soon became enraged at his success, and plotted 
to kill him. They had barbarously crucified the 



3 "Lives of the Early Martyrs." 

A recent traveller writes : " I started for Saragossa early on the 
morning of the 18th. . . . About half-past eight in the evening 
we crossed the Ebro, memorable in the traditions of Spain ; for it 
was on the banks of this river, a short distance from where we 
crossed it, that St. James saw the Heavenly Queen and received 
the sacred Pillar still to be seen there, a symbol of the Faith he 
had planted in Spain, and which still lives strong in the hearts and 
affections of her people notwithstanding the storms of persecu- 
tion. 

"The Chapel of the Pillar is enclosed in a very large church, 
of which it occupies the centre. There are three altars in the 
chapel. The one at the Epistle side is the shrine of our Lad)-, 
but no Masses are celebrated on this altar. The Masses are said 
on the middle altar, or on that at the Gospel side, St. James's. 

" Many Masses were celebrated before mine, and at every hour 
of the day people might be seen prostrated before the altar of our 
Lady. . . . Tradition says that St. James obtained this statue 
from the Blessed Virgin herself, when she appeared to him near 
the river Ebro, and that the statue and pillar still stand on the 
very spot where they were placed by St. James himself, having 
never been touched or removed by human hands." — Rev. J. 
Adam, Letter of July 29, 1877, in the Ave Maria. 



82 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Divine One ; but the disciple is not better than 
his Master. 

Having failed on several occasions in their ma- 
lignant designs on the life of the holy Apostle, his 
enemies now determined on a new plan for his 
destruction. It was arranged to raise a sudden 
disturbance while he was preaching. Two Ro- 
man centurions were hired to have their soldiers 
in readiness to seize his person at a given signal. 

One day while St. James was in the midst of a 
discourse on the divinity of Jesus Christ, some of 
the listening multitude exhibited displeasure at 
his burning words. The sign was given. A 
scribe, named Josias, rushed on the Saint, and 
threw a rope around his neck. The soldiers 
then seized him and led him prisoner to the 
king. 

This was Agrippa, the grandson of that in- 
famous Herod who beheaded St. John the Bap- 
tist. In his desire to please the Jews, he began 
to persecute the followers of Christ ; and without 
making any enquiry as to the truth of the charges 
brought against St. James, the barbarous king at 
once ordered him to be executed. 4 

4 Agrippa was the first prince who persecuted the Church. 
After having put St. James to death, he imprisoned St. Peter, but 
God delivered him out of the persecutor's hands. Nor was it 
long before this king felt the effect of divine vengeance. After 
the feast of the Passover, in the year 43, he returned to Csesarea 
to exhibit there public games in honor of the Emperor Claudius, 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. &$ 

His hour was come. The Apostle, no doubt, 
recalled Calvary, and, with joy, passed on his 
way to the block. No longer was he annoyed 
with ambitious thoughts about whether he would 
be honored with a place on the right or the left 
of his Divine Master. His only desire was to 
prove the depth of his faith and hope and love by 
giving up his life for the Son of God ; his only 
wish was to glorify Him before heaven and earth. 

and was attended thither by a numerous train of nobility. 
He appeared early on the second morning of the exhibition at 
the theatre, in a costly robe of silver tissue, artfully wrought, and 
so bright that the sunbeams which darted upon it were reflected 
with such an uncommon lustre as to dazzle the eyes of the spec- 
tators, who foolishly beheld him with a kind of divine respect. 
In an elegant speech he addressed the deputies of Tyre and 
Sid on, who had come to beg his pardon for some offence. Whilst 
he spoke, the ambassadors and some court sycophants gave a 
great shout, crying out that it was the voice of a god and not of 
a man. Agrippa, elated with pride, seemed to forget himself, 
and to approve instead of checking the impious flattery. But at 
that instant, an angel of the Lord smote him with a dreadful 
disease, and he felt himself seized with a violent pain in his 
bowels. Seeing the distemper to be mortal, he rejected the flat- 
tery of his sycophants, telling them that he whom they called im- 
mortal was dying. Yet still full of false ideas of human gran- 
deur, though he saw death inevitable, he comforted himself with 
the remembrance of the splendor in which he had lived. So true 
it is, that a man dies such as he lives. After lingering five days 
in dreadful torments, under which no remedy gave him any ease, 
being eaten up by worms, he expired in all the miseries that can 
be expressed or imagined. This account is given us by Josephus 
and by St. Luke. — Butler. 



84 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

As St. James was moving along the street, a 
poor paralytic saw him, and cried out that he 
wished to be healed. The Saint granted his re- 
quest. He was instantly cured. But this miracle 
led to one still greater. 

Josiasthe Scribe was struck with the matchless 
peace and courage that marked the conduct of the 
great x\postle as he went to death ; but the cure 
of the paralytic worked a wondrous change, and 
at the sight of the miracle he was suddenly con- 
verted. Then and there he repented of what he 
had done, and cried out that Jesus Christ was the 
true God. 

His sincerity was soon put to the test. He 
was led with St. James to execution, and begged 
pardon of the latter for having apprehended him. 
The Apostle paused a moment, turned to him, 
and embraced him, saying : " Peace be with you." 
Having arrived at the block, he kissed him, and 
they were beheaded together. 5 And thus passed 
to their heavenly home, in the year 43, the glori- 
ous " Son of Thunder " and the lowly, repentant 
Scribe, each, in his degree, to partake for ever of 

5 On the highest summit of Mount Sion (at Jerusalem) is one 
of the most elegant and richest churches of the city. It is called 
the Church of the Apostle St. James. This is where the Apostle, 
of Spain was beheaded by order of King Agrippa. A Partial 
Indulgence is here obtainable. Stains of the blood of this 
Apostle can be seen yet on the stone where he received martyr- 
dom. — Rev. Dr. Vetromile, Tiavels, 1869. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 85 

that ir^sterious joy which eye cannot see, nor ear 
hear, nor the mind of man comprehend. 6 

6 The body of St. James was interred at Jerusalem ; but, not 
long after, it was carried by his disciples into Spain, and deposit- 
ed at El Padron, on the borders of Galicia. In the beginning of 
the ninth century the sacred relics were there discovered, and 
translated to Compostella. Here they rest in the stately cathe- 
dral, and are held in great veneration. 

Many authentic miracles have been wrought through the inter- 
cession of St. James ; and during the long struggle between the 
Cross and the Crescent in Spain he is said to have appeared sev- 
eral times, affording visible protection to the Catholic armies of 
that nation against the fierce and powerful Moors. Compostella 
is famous for the number of pilgrims who come to visit the 
shrine of the illustrious Apostle of Spain. 

Even in the New World the roving and chivalrous Spaniard 
brandished his sword and dashed into the fight only after utter- 
ing his battle-cry of " San J ago," or St. James. Of the first great 
battle of Cortes with the Indians the historian Prescott writes: 
" It was not long before the ears of the Christians were saluted 
with the cheering war-cry of San Jago and San Pedro ! (St. James 
and St. Peter), and they beheld the bright helmets and swords of 
the Castilian chivalry flashing back the rays of the morning sun, 
as they dashed- through the ranks of the enemy, striking to the 
right and the left, and scattering dismay around them. The eye 
of Faith, indeed, could discern the Patron Saint of Spain him- 
self, mounted on his gray war-horse, heading the rescue, and 
trampling over the bodies of the fallen infidels." — History of the 
Conqu-. st of Mexico. 

" Cortes," says Pizarro y Orellana, " supposed it was his own 
tutelar saint, St. Peter ; but the common and undeniable opinion 
is that it was our glorious Apostle St. James, the bulwark and 
safeguard of our nation." 

Of this event the brave old soldier-historian, Bernal Diaz, who 
was in the battle, writes : " I acknowledge that ail our exploits 



86 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

and victories are owing to our Lord Jesus Christ, and that in this 
battle there was such a number of Indians to every one of us that 
if each had thrown a handful of earth they might have buried us, 
if by the great mercy of God we had not been protected. It may 
be that the person whom Gomara mentions as having appeared 
on a mottled gray horse was the glorious Apostle St. James or 
St. Peter, and that I, being a sinner, was unworthy to see him." — 
Hist, de la Conquista. 

St. James's Church is the oldest Catholic place of worship in 
Brooklyn, N. Y. All the large cities of the United States have 
churches dedicated to divine worship under the patronage of this 
great Apostle. 



j&mnl y$kfy 



1 THE PRINCE OF THE APOSTLES:' 1 
DIED A.D. 65. 




JT. PETER, the first Vicar of Christ on 
earth, was the son of Jona, a fisherman, 
and was originally named Simon. He 
was born at Bethsaida, a city of Galilee, situated 
on the Sea of Galilee. 2 Some authors have fixed 
the date of his birth three years before that of 
the Most Blessed Virgin, and seventeen years be- 
fore the birth of Christ. St. Andrew, the Apostle, 
was his brother. 

Peter removed from Bethsaida to Caphar- 
naum, probably on account of his marriage, for 

1 Some may, perhaps, think that this title is of modern origin ; 
but it is at least as old as St. Jerome, who uses these very 
words. 

2 The Sea of Galilee, sometimes called the Sea of Tiberias, is 
about sixteen miles long by eight wide, and is the largest of two 
fresh-water lakes through which the river Jordan passes. It is 
said that the river flows through it without mingling its waters 
with those of the lake. The latter still abounds in fish as when 
the Apostles left their nets to become " fishers of men " ; but the 
fishery is now of little importance. — Mitchell, Sacred Geography. 

87 



SS Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

his wife's mother dwelt in the latter town. Ca- 
pharnaum 3 was equally well suited for fishing 
purposes, as it was built on the shore of the Sea 
of Galilee, near the mouth of the river Jordan. 
Here Peter and Andrew followed the hardy, la- 
borious calling of fishermen. 

When about forty years of age, Peter was in- 
troduced by his brother to our Divine Redeemer, 
who, looking upon him, said : " Thou art Simon 
the son of Jona; thou shalt be called Cephas, 
which is interpreted, Peter." 4 

For some time the future Prince of the Apostles 
did not make it a habit to attend our Lord on His 
journeys; but he always went to hear Him when 
He taught the multitudes. One day as Christ 
was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Peter 
and Andrew casting their nets into the water. 
" Come after Me," said the Great Teacher, "and 
I will make you fishers of men." They at once 
obeyed the divine call. It was on the same oc- 
casion that our Lord invited James and John to 
follow Him. 

The attachment of St. Peter to his Divine Mas- 

3 Our Lord often resided in Capharnaum, which was an import- 
ant town Here He performed many miracles, and in its neighbor- 
hood He delivered the great "Sermon on the Mount," but as its 
hardened inhabitants "repented not," their city, with two others, 
was included in a fearful malediction. To day no vestige of it 
exists. 

4 Peter is from the Greek, and signifies a iock t 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 89 

ter was from the first loving, faithful, and enthu- 
siastic. When certain weak disciples deserted 
Him — being offended at His doctrine concern- 
ing the Holy Eucharist — He asked the twelve : 
"Will you also go away?" And Peter nobly 
answered: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou 
hast the words of eternal life. And we have be- 
lieved and have known that Thou art Christ, the 
Son of God." 

Out of affection he twice cast himself into the 
sea to meet Jesus Christ. He had not patience to 
wait till the boat neared the shore. On the first 
of these occasions, the Apostles were crossing the 
tempest-tossed water at night ; and as our Lord 
approached the vessel, walking upon the waves, 
they were troubled. 

In the words of the Holy Book, they exclaim- 
ed : " It is an apparition. And they cried out of 
fear. And immediately Jesus spoke to them, say- 
ing : ' Be of good heart ; it is I, fear not.' 

" And Peter making answer, said : ' Lord, if 
it be Thou, bid, me come to Thee upon the 
waters.' 

"And He said: < Come.' And Peter going 
down out of the boat, walked upon the water to 
come to Jesus. 

" But seeing the wind strong, he was afraid ; 
and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying :: 
1 Lord, save me ! ' 



90 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

"And immediately Jesus stretching forth His 
hand took hold of him, and said to him : ' O thou 
of little faith ! why didst thou doubt ? ' " 

By Peter's confidence in God we learn what 
we can do with the divine assistance; and by his 
fear we are wisely taught what we are in our- 
selves. 

On a certain occasion, Christ asked His dis- 
ciples : " ' Whom do men say that the Son of Man 
is?' 

"But they said : 'Some John the Baptist, and 
some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the 
prophets.' 

" Christ said to them : ' But whom do you say 
that I am ? ' 

" Simon Peter answered and said : ' Thou art 
Christ, the Son of the living God.' 

" And Jesus answering, said to him : ' Blessed 
art thou, Simon Bar-Jona ; because flesh and 
blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father 
who is in heaven.' 

" And I say to thee : That thou art Peter ; and 
upon this rock I zvill build my Church, and the gates 
of hell shall not prevail against it. 

" And I zvill give to thee the keys of the kingdom 
of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon 
earth, it shall also be bound in heaven ; and whatso- 
ever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall also be loosed 
in heaven." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 91 

Thus Peter confessed the divinity of our Lord, 
and, in return for that confession, he was honored 
with the promise of being- made the foundation 
of the Church and the Vicar of Christ on earth, 
with wonderful powers and privileges. 6 

Our Blessed Redeemer, who loved His own that 
were in the world, and loved them to the end, 
washed the feet of His disciples at the Last Sup- 
per. He came first to Peter, who said: " Lord, 
dost Thou wash my feet ? " 

" What I do," answered Christ, " thou knowest 
not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." 

Peter said : " Thou shalt never wash my feet." 

" If I wash thee not," replied the Divine One, 
u thou shalt have no part with Me." 

Peter was confounded at these words, and ex- 
claimed : " Lord, not only my feet, but also my 
hands and my head." 

This zealous Apostle, however, was permitted 
to fall, doubtless in punishment of a secret pre- 
sumption, and that we might learn with him more 
clearly to discover the weakness of our nature 

£ Which powers and privileges descend, of course, to his suc- 
cessors, as the Church is to last till the end of time 

On that singularly misunderstood truth of faith, the Infalli- 
bility of the Popes, see Archbishop Gibbons's excellent work, 
" The Faith of Our Fathers," chap. xi. 

For a full explanation of the Pope's place and power in the 
Church of God, see that masterpiece in religious literature, " Du 
Pape," par Count Joseph de Maistre. 



92 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

and to fear the dangers of human pride. " Lord, 
whither goest Thou ? " said Peter to Christ during 
His last discourse. 

" Whither I go," answered the Great Master, 
" thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt 
follow hereafter." 

" Why cannot I follow Thee now ? " said Peter; 
adding with energy : " I will lay down my life for 
Thee." 

But Christ replied : " Thou wilt lay down thy 
life for Me ! Amen, amen I say to thee, the cock 
shall not crow, till thou deny Me thrice." 

Alas ! this prophecy was to be fulfilled only 
too soon. Christ was betrayed by the wretched 
Judas, and led to the high-priest. Peter follow- 
ed, and sat without in the court. 

" There came to him," writes the Evangelist, 
" a servant-maid saying: 'Thou also wast with 
Jesus the Galilean.' 

"But he denied before them all, saying: 'I 
know not what thou sayest.' 

" And as he went out of the gate, another maid 
saw him, and said to them that were there : ' This 
man also was with Jesus of Nazareth.' And 
again he denied with an oath, ' That I know not 
the Man.' 

" And after a little while they came that stood 
by, and said to Peter : ' Surely thou also art one 
of them ; for even thy speech doth discover 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 93 

thee.' Then he began to curse and swear that 
he knew not the Man. And immediately the 
cock crew. 

"And Peter remembered the words of Jesus 
which He had said : ' Before the cock crow, thou 
wilt deny Me thrice.' And going forth he wept 
bitterly." 

Though St. Peter sinned, and sinned most grie- 
vously, he did not lose his faith in Christ. " He 
had a lie in his mouth," says St. Augustine, "but 
his heart was faithful." Besides, his repentance 
was speedy, perfect, and life-long. So abundant 
were the bitter tears which he shed for denying his 
Lord that they are said to have formed two fur- 
rows in his cheeks, which remained there to the 
end of his days. From that hour the life which 
he led was so mortified that he usually ate nothing 
but herbs and roots. 6 

As the chief of the Apostles fell by presump- 
tion, St. Chrysostom tells us that he ever after 

6 St. Peter is the only Apostle whom the Gospel mentions 
to have been married before his vocation to the apostleship ; 
though we are assured by ancient Fathers and historians that St. 
Philip and some others were also married men when they were 
called by Christ. St. Clement of Alexandria, St Jerome, and St. 
Epiphanius expressly affirm, however, that from the time of their 
call to the ministry, or the commencement of their apostleship, 
they all embraced a state of perpetual continency ; and St. 
Chrysostom proposes St. Peter as an illustrious model of chastity. 
— Butler. 



94 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

lived in the light of profound humility. By his 
fall he learned to treat sinners with tenderness 
and compassion ; and by the graces and dignities 
to which Christ exalted him after his denial, we 
see the boundless mercy of God, and how sin is 
perfectly blotted out by that wonderful beautifier 
of spiritual deformity — true repentance. 

After the Resurrection, Christ manifested Him- 
self to His Apostles as they were fishing on the 
Sea of Galilee. So overjoyed was Peter at see- 
ing his Lord on the shore that he girt his coat 
about him, plunged into the water, and boldly 
struck for the land, that he might the sooner pay 
his respects to the Great Master. The other 
Apostles followed, dragging a net full of large 
fishes. 

On landing they saw some live coals and a fish 
broiling upon them, with bread lying near. The 
kind, adorable Redeemer had just prepared this 
repast for his toil-worn disciples. When it was 
over, He asked Peter if he loved Him more than 
the others did. 

11 Lord," modestly answered Peter, " Thou 
knowest that I love Thee." 

" Feed my lambs," said Christ. 

Again our Lord asked Peter if he loved Him. 

11 Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee," re- 
plied Peter. 

" Feed my lambs," said Christ. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 95 

Even the third time He asked Peter if he loved 
Him. 

But Peter was grieved on hearing himself asked 
the question a third time. He was troubled, 
fearing lest our Divine Saviour had seen some 
secret defect in his love. " Do you not see," 
writes St. Chrysostom, " that the better he is 
grown, the more modest and timorous he has 
become ? " 

Peter, however, from the depth of his glow- 
ing heart answered : " Lord, Thou knowest all 
things. Thou knowest that I love Thee." 

"Feed my sheep," said Christ 

Thus did Jesus Christ confide to St. Peter 
the care of his whole flock, both lambs and 
sheep. He placed him over His Church. He 
made him His representative on earth, giving 
him the keys of the kingdom of heaven and 
the spiritual charge of all mankind. This, in 
brief, was how the first Pope received that won- 
derful power and supreme jurisdiction which to 
this day are exercised by his successors in the 
Eternal City. 7 

7 " Peter," says the great Bossuet, " appears the first in every way 
— the first in making profession of faith, the first in the obligation 
of exercising charity, the first of all the Apostles who saw our 
Saviour risen from the dead, as he was also the first to witness 
before the people, the first when there was question of filling up 
the number of the Apostles, the first to confirm the faith by a 
miracle, the first to convert the Jews, the first to re'ceive the Gen- 



96 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

After the Ascension of our Lord, Peter first 
exercised his authority by calling together a coun- 
cil in Jerusalem, at which both the Apostles and 
disciples were present. The object was to fill 
the place of the wretched Judas Iscariot in 
the Apostolic College. Matthias was chosen. 
Peter presided over that venerable assemblage, 
and reminded it that the crime of Judas had been 
foretold by David. 

When the Holy Ghost shed His wondrous 
graces on the disciples, Peter's application of the 
Scriptures was again most happy. 

"And when the days of Pentecost were ac- 
complished," says the Sacred Book, "they were 
together in one place. 

" And suddenly there came a sound from hea- 
ven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the 
whole house where they were sitting. 

" And there appeared to them parted tongues as 
it were of fire, 8 and it sat upon every one of them. 

tiles, the first everywhere. But it is impossible to say all. 
Everything concurs in establishing his primacy." — Sermon sur 
P Unite. 

b We are not to suppose that this was real fire. Nothing is ever 
likened to itself; hence, no one thinks of saying: "Water is 
like water." So it is with the wind, of which it is written that 
the noise it made was ///tv that of a mighty wind ; therefore, it was 
not really wind, but only a sound like it. So, too. the tongues 
had but the brightness and agility of flame. They were so 
many symbols whereby the Holy Ghost made known His nature, 
His properties, and His effects. — De Ligny. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 97 

" And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, 
and they began to speak with divers tongues 
according as the Holy Ghost gave them to 
speak." 9 

The Apostles were so transported by the fer- 
vor of zeal that their eloquent language astonish- 
ed the people of Jerusalem, and even the stran- 
gers who listened to their bright and burning 
words. But some of the Jews jeeringly said: 
" These men are full of new wine." Then Peter 
arose, and with such supernatural power did he 
preach Jesus Christ triumphant over death that 
three thousand persons were converted and asked 
to be baptized. This discourse of the Prince of 
the Apostles was at once wise and noble. 

Nor did he confine himself to words. He 
brought the sanction of miracles to confirm the 
divinity of his mission. One day St. Peter and 

9 Through the gift of tongues which the Apostles had received, 
(1) they spoke the respective languages of all those whom they 
had to address ; (2) they understood each of those tongues when 
spoken to fhemsebes ; (3) when they spoke at the same time to 
men of different countries and of various tongues, they were un- 
derstood by all the men at once, as is proved by the discourse of 
St. Peter. But how could this be so? God, who operated the 
miracie, alone knows. We can, however, understand this much — 
that every word spoken by the Apostles on that occasion, in any 
language whatsoever, was, by the power of God, so modulated 
on the air that it struck Grecian ears as the Greek word of 
the same meaning, while to Roman ears it sounded as a Latin 
word, and so on with all the others. — De Ligny. 



98 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

St. John were going to the Temple in the after- 
noon. "And a certain man," writes St. Luke, 
11 who was lame from his mother's womb, was 
carried — whom they laid every day at the gate 
of the Temple which is called Beautiful, that 
he might ask alms of them that went into the 
Temple. 

" He, when he had seen Peter and John about 
to go into the Temple, asked to receive an alms. 

" But Peter, with John, fastening his eyes upon 
him, said : ' Look upon us.' 

11 But he looked earnestly upon them, hoping 
that he should receive something of them. 

" But Peter said : * Silver and gold I have none ; 
but what I have I give thee. In the name of 
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk.' 

" And taking him by the right hand, he lifted 
him up, and forthwith his feet and soles received 
strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, 
and went with them into the Temple— walking, 
and leaping, and praising God." 

The first Christians learned from the lofty ex- 
ample of their teachers so perfect a spirit of dis- 
interestedness, contempt of earthly riches, and 
desire after the things of heaven that they lived 
in common. The wealthy sold their estates, and 
laid the price at the feet of the Apostles. This 
was then distributed according to the wants of 
all. But even the example of the saints and the 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 99 

force of miracles cannot always destroy the gro- 
velling spirit of avarice. 

" A certain man," relates the Holy Book, 
" named Ananias, with Saphira his wife, sold a 
piece of land, and by fraud kept back part of the 
price of the land, his wife being privy thereunto; 
and bringing a certain part of it, laid it at the feet 
of the Apostles. 

" But Peter said : ' Ananias, why hath Satan 
tempted thy heart, that thou shouldst lie to the 
Holy Ghost, and by fraud keep part of the price 
of the land ? 

" ' Whilst it remained did it not remain to 
thee ? And after it was sold, was it not in thy 
power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in 
thy heart? Thou hast not lied to men, but to 
God.' 

" And Ananias hearing these words, fell down, 
and gave up the ghost. And there came a great 
fear upon all that heard it. 

" And the young men rising up, removed him, 
and carrying him out, buried him. 

" And it was about the space of three hours 
after, when his wife, not knowing what had hap- 
pened, came in. 

"And Peter said to her: 'Tell me, woman, 
whether you sold the land for so much.' And 
she said : * Yea, for so much.' 

"And Peter said unto her: 'Why have you 



ioo Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord ? 
Behold the feet of them who have buried thy 
husband are at the door, and they shall carry thee 
out.' 

" Immediately she fell down before his feet, and 
gave up the ghost. And the young men coming 
in, found her dead, and carried her out, and 
buried her by her husband. 

"And great fear came upon the whole Church, 
and upon all that heard these things." 

So great was the fame and sanctity of the 
Prince of the Apostles that the people laid their 
sick friends on beds and couches in the streets, 
"that when Peter came his shadow might at least 
pass over any of them, and they might be deliver- 
ed from their infirmities." 

Persecution now came. The Apostles were 
scourged, but the faith triumphed. The holy 
spirit of Christianity, like a mighty fire, forced 
its way on all sides. St. Stephen was crowned 
with martyrdom. St. Paul was converted, and 
after his conversion the persecution ceased at 
Jerusalem. 

St. Peter remained in Judea five years after the 
Ascension of our Lord. But when the storm of 
persecution had blown over, he took his way 
through the surrounding country to visit the 
faithful, as a general makes his round to see if all 
things are everywhere in good order. Miracles 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. igi 

marked his footsteps. He held his first dispute 
with Simon the Magician in Samaria. 10 

Thence he proceeded to Csesarea to baptize 
Cornelius the centurion, who commanded the 
garrison in that city. Cornelius was the first 
Gentile who received baptism. He afterwards 
became Bishop of Csesarea. 

From Palestine, Peter passed to Antioch, the 
capital of Syria. This was then the most famous 
city of the East. It was considered the third 
city of the Roman Empire, coming immediately 
after Rome and Alexandria. He founded the 
Church of Antioch, and fixed his see there for 
seven years — that is, from the year 33 to 40. " 

"This," writes St. John Chrysostom, 12 " is one 
of the privileges of this our city (Antioch), that 
it had at first as teacher the chief of the Apostles. 

10 Samaria is the first place mentioned in the Acts where 
Peter went with John, at the request of Philip the Deacon, to 
impose their hands on those Philip had converted — that is to 
say, to confirm them in the faith by calling on them the Holy 
Ghost. Samaria is thus the first city where the doctrine of Christ 
was preached out of Jerusalem. — Father Thebaud,The Church and 
the Gmtile World, vol. i. 

This Samaria was the capital of a small division of Palestine 
of the same name. It is now a mean village. Some ancient 
ruins remind the traveller of its former greatness. 

11 St. Peter " really founded the Church of Antioch, and was its 
first bishop." — Father The'baud, S.J. 

32 St. John Chrysostom is one of the great Doctors of the 
Church. He was Patriarch of Constantinople, and died in 407. 



102 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

For it was befitting" that that city which, before 
the rest of the world, was crowned with the 
Christian's name, 13 should receive as shepherd the 
first of the Apostles ; but after having had him as 
our teacher, we did not retain him, but gave him 
to regal Rome." 

In the partition of nations among- the Apostles, 
St. Peter chose Rome for the scene of his labors. 
This great city was then the headquarters of 
idolatry and superstition. God, who, it seems, 
had raised up the Roman Empire that the Gospel 
might be the more easily spread in many coun- 
tries, was pleased to fix the fortress of the faith 
in its very capital. Thus the light of truth was 
the more readily diffused from the head to the 
most distant parts of the known world, which then 
acknowledged the imperial sway of the Caesars. 
The spiritual dominion of Peter, however, was 
destined to extend far beyond the bounds of this 
vast empire. 

The Prince of the Apostles arrived at Rome in 
the year 40. "Under the reign of Claudius," 
writes the ancient historian Eusebius, " by the 
benign and gracious providence ot God, Peter, 
that great and powerful Apostle, who by his 
courage took the lead of all the rest, was con- 
ducted to Rome. He was a noble general ap- 

13 It was in Antioch that the followers of Christ wtxe first called 
Christians. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 103 

pointed by God and armed with heavenly wea- 
pons. He brought the precious merchandise of 
intellectual light from the East to the dwellers 
in the West, announcing the light itself and the 
salutary doctrine of the soul — the proclamation 
of the kingdom of God." 14 

The holy Pontiff first lived near the site of the 
church of St. Cecilia. In a short time, however, 
Pudens, a Roman senator, having heard the 
preaching of Peter, declared himself converted, 
and the Apostle was conducted to a beautiful 
palace which Pudens possessed on Mount Vi- 
minal. 

St. Peter soon returned for a time to the East. 
While visiting the afflicted Church of Jerusalem, 
he was arrested, in the year 44, by order of Herod 
Agrippa; but Christ did not permit his Vicar to 
remain long in the clutches of the tyrant. He 
was miraculously delivered by an angel, who led 
him from the prison. 

Again Ave find St. Peter in Rome, but only for 
a short time, as he was banished by order of the 
Emperor Claudius. In the year 51 he was present 
at the first General Council held by the Apostles 

14 As to the testimony of ancient writers with respect to the 
long-continued presence of St. Peter at Rome and of his death 
by martyrdom, it is so convincing that many learned Protestant 
writers have been compelled to admit both. In fact, all Christian 
antiquity is unanimous on the subject. — Thebaud, The Church 
and the Gentile World, vol. ii. 



104 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

in the city of Jerusalem. 15 On this occasion he 
made a discourse in which he showed that the 
obligation of the Jewish ceremonies was not to 
be laid on the Gentile converts. It immediately 
became a decree of the council. 

One of the last events in the life of this illustri- 
ous Apostle was his glorious conflict, at Rome, 
with that prince of impostors, Simon the Magi- 
cian. So highly was Simon honored in the 
imperial city that even during his life a statue 
was erected to him on an isle oi the Tiber, bear- 
ing the blasphemous inscription, Simoni Deo 
Sancto — "To the Holy God, Simon." 

Simon and the brutal tyrant Nero became fast 
friends. The magician even boasted that he 
would fly in the air, carried by his " angels," in 
imitation of the Ascension of our Blessed Re- 
deemer. He was to perform this daring feat 
for the amusement of the emperor and the cor- 
rupt Roman populace. The day came. " He 
went to the Capitoline Hill," says St. Ambrose, 
"and, throwing himself from the rock, began 
his ascent. Then Peter, standing in the midst, 
said : 'O Lord Jesus, show him that his arts are 
vain ) ' Hardly were these words pronounced 

15 St. Peter " certainly left Rome once to go to Jerusalem, where 
he undoubtedly held the first rank in the first Christian Council 
there ; so that the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome can claim 
a pretty high antiquity," — Thebaud, 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 105 

when the wings which Simon had made use of 
became entangled, and he fell." And great was 
the fall thereof. He was dashed to the ground 
with a bruised body and fractured thigh; and, 
in a few days after, the mighty magician died in 
rage and confusion. 

The progress of the faith and the miracles of 
the Apostles soon drew down the crime-stained 
hand of Nero on the Church; and Christians 
were persecuted, hunted down, and put to death 
like wild beasts of the wilderness. The faithful 
entreated St. Peter to conceal himself from the 
pursuit of the imperial monster. It was with 
some unwillingness that the venerable Apostle 
yielded to their earnest desires and made his es- 
cape by night. As he was passing out of the gate 
of the city, he met Christ in a vision. " Lord, 
where are You going?" asked Peter. " I am 
going to Rome," answered Christ, "to be cruci- 
fied again." 

To the loving soul of the Prince of the Apos- 
tles this vision was most suggestive. It seemed 
to be a pointed reproof for turning his back upon 
death and suffering. He retraced his steps, was 
soon arrested, and, with St. Paul, was cast into 
the Mamertine Prison. 16 After eight months' im- 

16 This famous prison may be seen to this day. " Here St. Pe- 
ter and St. Paul," writes Rev. Dr. Neligan, "were both impri- 
soned. We kissed with respect the column to which they were 



106 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

prisonment they were led to execution on the 
same day. St. Peter was scourged, and, at his 
own desire, crucified with his head downward, 
humbly deeming himself unworthy to suffer in 
the same position as his Divine Master. And 
thus died at Rome, on the 29th of June in the 
year 65, the wonderful fisherman of Galilee, 
whom Jesus graciously took from his nets, made 
a fisher of men, placed him over his whole 
Church, gave him the keys of the kingdom of 
heaven, and who will be known for time and 
eternity as the first Pope and Vicar of Christ on 
earth. 17 

bound, we drank water from the fountain which St. Peter caused 
to come forth from the floor that he might baptize St. Processus 
and St. Martinianus, their jailers, with the twenty seven soldiers, 
who were all martyred in their turn." See Neligan's Rome, p. 79. 

17 As regards the devotion of the Catholics of this Republic to 
the chief of the Apostles, the following scattered facts may per- 
haps convey a faint glimpse. The oldest Catholic Church in 
New York City bears the name of St. Peter. The cathedrals of 
Cincinnati. Richmond, and Wilmington are dedicated to divine 
worship under the patronage of St. Peter ; and Baltimore, Wash- 
ington, Brooklyn, Boston, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Buffalo, 
Newark, Chicago, and many other phices have churches bearing 
tWe name of the Prince of the Apostles. There is one Catholic 
college called after him — St. Peter's, Jersey City. It possesses 
the powers of a university. 

See the New Testament for the two canonical Epistles of St. 
Peter. 

in the church of St. John of Late; an, at Rome, is the wooden 
altar used by St. Peter, and now reserved for the exclusive use 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 107 

of his successors; also the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul, and 
the sacred table used at the Last Supper. 

"The body of St. Peter," says Artaud, "was at first interred 
in the Catacombs, and then transferred to the Vatican. , His head, 
as well as that of St. Paul, is over the high altar of the basilica 
of St. John of Lateran, where they were placed by Pope Urban V., 
A.D. 1370." — Lives of the Popes. 



jbntt M 



7W.£ APOSTLE OF THE GENTILESA 
DIED A.D. 6^. 




j|T. PAUL 2 is a towering figure in the early 
history of the Catholic Church. Every- 
thing about him was remarkable — his 
miraculous conversion, his boundless zeal, his 
shining virtues, his manly character, and his 
heroic death. Though not one of the twelve, he 
is justly entitled to hold a place among the great 
Apostles. 

He was born of a Jewish family at Tarsus, 3 in 

J Both Scripture and patristic tradition agree in securing to 
St. Paul his high attribution of Apostle of the Gentiles — that is, 
mainly of the Greeks, since the civilized gentile world had been 
universally invaded by Greek language, customs, and religion. — 
Jr. Thebaud, S.J. 

" Paul is from the Latin, and signifies little. It is generally 
thought that on his conversion he changed his name from Saul to 
Paul. 

3 Tarsus was the capital of Cilicia, and a seat of learning so 
famous as almost to rival Athens and Alexandria. The Cydnus 
river, which flows past the city, was noted for the coldness of its 
waters, and was nearly fatal to Alexander the Great on his bath- 
ing in it, when in a state of perspiration. — Mitchell, Ancient 
Geography. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 109 

Asia Minor, but was educated in the schools of 
Jerusalem. Mention is first made of him in the 
New Testament at the stoning of St. Stephen. 
The murderers of the proto-martyr, we are told, 
" laid down their garments at the feet of a young 
man whose name was Saul." This was the fu- 
ture Apostle of the Gentiles. He was then, how- 
ever, such an active, bitter persecutor of the 
Christians that he ardently wished to see them 
destroyed with something like the force and rapi- 
dity of lightning. 

" And Saul," says the Holy Book, " as yet 
breathing out threatenings and slaughter against 
the disciples of the Lord, went to the high-priest, 
and asked of him letters to Damascus, to the 
synagogues, that if he found any men or women 
of this way he might bring them bound to Jeru- 
salem. 

"And as he went on hrs journey, it came to 
pass that he drew nigh to Damascus; and sud- 
denly a light from heaven shone round about 
him. And falling on the ground, he heard a 
voice saying to him : ' Saul, Saul, why perse- 
cutest thou me ? ' 

" Who said : ' Who art Thou, Lord ? ' And He : 
' I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard 
for thee to kick against the goad.' 

"And trembling and astonished, he said : ' Lord, 
what wilt Thou have me to do?' 



1 10 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" And the Lord said to him : ' Arise and go in- 
to the city, and there it shall be told thee what 
thou must do.' Now the men who went in corn- 
pan}' with him stood amazed, hearing indeed a 
voice, but seeing no man. 

"And Saul arose from the ground, and when 
his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. But they 
leading him by the hands, brought him to Damas- 
cus. And he was there three days without sight, 
and he did neither eat nor drink." 

The Lord appeared to a good Catholic of 
.Damascus, the disciple Ananias, and told him 
to go and see the converted persecutor, naming 
the street and house where he would find Saul. 
Ananias expressed some fear on hearing the ter- 
rible name of Saul mentioned ; but he was soon 
reassured. 

" Go thy way," said Christ, " for this man is to 
Me a vessel of election, to carry my Name before 
the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel. 
For I will show him how great things he must 
suffer for my Name's sake." 

Ananias went to the house, -continues the sacred 
narrative, " and laying his hands upon him, said: 
1 Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus hath sent me — 
He that appeared to thee in the way as thou 
earnest — that thou mayest receive thy sight 
and be filled with the Holy Ghost.' And im- 
mediately there fell from his eyes scales as it 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 1 1 1 

were, and he received his sight ; and rising up 
he was baptized." 4 

Such was the extraordinary conversion of St. 
Paul, an event which the Church celebrates on 
the 25th of January. 

He immediately preached Christ and His holy 
faith in the synagogues. 5 "And all that heard 
him," writes St. Luke, " were astonished, and 

4 Mount Hermon, which has been seen towering from many 
places of the Holy Land, is now close at hand, and nigh to this 
locality, on the right, the spot is pointed out where the miraculous 
conversion of St. Paul took place, to which is attached a Partial 
Indulgence. Damascus, the oldest city in the world, founded by 
Ur, the grandson of Noe, contains about 160,000 inhabitants, the 
majority of whom are Mohammedans ; still the number of Chris- 
tians is large. . . . The streets are narrow, crooked, and 
dirty. . . . On the site of the house of Ananias, where the 
conversion of St. Paul was completed by his baptism, and where 
by the hands of the same saint he recovered his sight, there is 
the Catholic chnpel, to which is attached a Partial Indulgence. 
There is also a Partial Indulgence on the window from which St. 
Paul was let down. It is an old tower of Roman architecture. 
Near it they point out the grave of St. George, the name of the 
soldier who is believed to have been instrumental in the 
Apostle's escape ; he became a convert, and was crowned with 
martyrdom on the s^ot.— Vetromile. 

Damascus is situated in a fertile and delightful region. The 
Turks and Arabs believe it to have been the original Garden of 
Paradise, and that it has not its equal on earth. It is one hun- 
dred and thirty-six miles north of Jerusalem, and about forty-five 
miles east of the Mediterranean. 

5 St. Paul began his apostleship eight or ten years, probably, 
after the da3 T of Pentecost. This date depends on the exact epoch 



1 1 2 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

said : ' Is not this he who persecuted in Jerusa- 
lem those that call upon this Name; and came 
here for that intent, that he might carry them 
bound to the chief priests ? ' " 

But Paul daily increased in grace and power, 
and confounded the Jews who dwelt at Da- 
mascus. Those people finally became so enraged 
that they determined to kill him, and even placed 
watches, day and night, at the gates of the city, 
in order to render his escape impossible. " But 
the disciples," says St. Luke, " taking him in the 
night, conveyed him away by the wall, letting 
him down in a basket." 

St. Paul now went to Jerusalem, where he 
stayed fifteen days, during which time he enjoyed 
the conversation of the Prince of the Apostles. 8 
He was very active in disputing with the Jews; 
but such was their hateful obstinacy that they 
shut their ears to the glowing truths of salvation. 

His words fell like flashes of light. The won- 
derful force and clearness of his discourses, which 
the Jews tried in vain to answer, aroused their 
wrath and malignity, and again his life was in 
danger. Some Catholic friends, however, took 

of his conversion, which is not perfectlv well ascertained. Thus, 
when he commenced to preach, Palestine and a great part of 
Syria had a' ready received the Gospel. — Father The'bmil, S.J. 

6 This was on the part of St. Paul a visit of respect which he 
believed it his duty to pay to him whom Jesus had established as 
Head of His Church.— De Ll^ny. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 1 13 

him to Caesarea, and thence sent him by sea to 
Tarsus, his native city. There he remained for 
over three years, and preached the faith with 
great success in Cicilia and Syria. 

St. Paul next proceeded to Antioch 7 to assist 
St. Barnabas in the work of evangelizing that his- 
toric city. After a year thus spent, he went to 
Jerusalem, bearing alms to the faithful of that dis- 
tressed and famine-stricken portion of the Church. 
He returned to Antioch, however, on fulfilling his 
mission. 

It seems to have been about this time that St. 
Paul was favored with that sublime ecstasy in 
which he was carried up to the third heaven, and 
saw and heard divine mysteries which man could 
not utter, and to which, many years after, he 
referred in one of his public discourses. 

By the command of the Holy Ghost, St. Paul 
and St. Barnabas were especially set apart for the 
office of preaching, and were now sent forth with 
full authority to spread the Faith over all nations. 

7 Antioch, at one time, was considered the third city in the 
world, and was called the Queen of the East. It is now a place 
of no importance. It was here, according to St. Luke (Acts xi. 
26), that " the disciples were first named Christians." This was 
about the year 44. "Julian the Apostate," writes Father De 
Ligny, S.J., "published an edict suppressing the name of Chris- 
tians, which he changed into that of Galileans. He feared that 
name, says one of the Fathers, even as the demons fear it."— His-' 
lo>y of the Acts of the Apostles. 



H4 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Though the other Apostles lived by the Gospel, 
St. Paul chose not to make use of that liberty. 
He earned his bread by making tents. But if he 
was not ignorant of what it was to have plenty, 
he also possessed that lofty Christian spirit which 
knew how to live in want and hunger. 

To follow the steps of this illustrious preacher 
and founder of churches in his many missions and 
long and countless journeys would, indeed, be im- 
possible in our short sketch. We can merely 
glance at his glorious labors. 

Taking with him St. Barnabas, in the year 44, 
he left Antioch, and afler a short sea voyage ar- 
rived in the famous island of Cyprus, 8 which he 
traversed, spreading the truths of the Gospel on 
all sides, and making many converts. Among 
these was Sergius Paul us, the Roman proconsul. 

Paulus was a wise and prudent man ; but he 
had been led astray by the magical arts of a Jew- 
ish impostor named Barjesus, the Sorcerer. The 
proconsul desired to hear St. Paul speak. Bar- 
jesus opposed the preaching of the Apostle. But 
the Saint smote the wretch with blindness; and 
the sight of the miracle so impressed Sergius 

8 Cyprus is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, except 
Sicily and Sardinia. It was famous for the variety and abun- 
dance of its products, and its delightful climate. The range of 
Mount Olympus extends through the whole length of the island. 

— Mitchell. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 1 15 

Paulus that he was converted and received the 
Sacrament of Baptism. 

The next scene of the Saint's zeal was Asia 
Minor. 9 He cured a man who was lame from his 
birth, in the city of Lystra ; and, on witnessing 
this wonder, the dull heathen multitude hurried 
to offer him and Barnabas sacrifice, as if they 
were divine beings. The Apostles, of course, ex- 
pressed their abhorrence at such a thoughtless 
action. But the same giddy mob soon after 
stoned St. Paul, and he was dragged out of the 
city as dead. Friendly hands, however, cared for 
him, and he soon recovered. The two returned 
to Antioch after an absence of three years; and 
during the four years that followed St. Paul 
preached the faith over Syria and Judea. 

In the year 51 we find him again at Antioch, 
whence he went to Jerusalem, and assisted at 
the first General Council held by the Apostles 
in that city. The twelve were present. It was 

9 Asia Minor is a large peninsula which forms the most west- 
ern division of Asia. It is bounded on the north by the Black 
Sea, and on the south by the Mediterranean. Its inhabitants 
formed many different nations, as Cilicia in the south, Pontus in 
the north, Galatia and Cappadocia in the interior, and many 
others. "St. Paul," says Father Thebaud, S J., "evidently at- 
tached an immense importance to the conversion of Asia Minor 
— that celebrated country which is now expiring in the pangs 
of poverty, war, and hunger under the barbarous sway of the 
Turks." 



1 1 6 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

on this solemn occasion that St. Paul recounted 
to the assembled Fathers the progress which the 
Gospel had made by his preaching among the 
Gentiles. 10 

He soon gave another mission in Asia Minor, 
sowing the good seed from city to city as he 
passed along. One night, while at Troas, he had 
a vision in which a Macedonian seemed to stand 
before him, earnestly beseeching the holy Apostle 
to visit his country and enlighten its people in 
the truths of the Catholic religion. St. Paul re- 
garded this as a pressing invitation, and, accom- 
panied by St. Luke " and others, he boarded a 
vessel, and passed into Europe. 

10 The brevity of our narrative, no doubt, makes St. Paul hasten 
on rather rapidly in the eyes of the reader. But in reality it was 
not so. He remained long enough in each place to give the 
faith a solid foundation ; and he everywhere established bishops, 
who continued the good work when he departed. See Father 
Thebaud's learned work, The Church and the Gentile World, vol. 
ii. chap. x. 

11 St. Luke, the Holy Evangelist and favorite companion of St. 
Paul, was a native of Antioch, a physician by profession, and a man 
of great learning. St. Jerome assures us that he was very eminent 
in his profession, and St. Paul, by calling him his most dear physi- 
cian, seems to indicate that he had not laid it aside. He was a 
convert to the Catholic faith. He remained with St. Paul to the 
last, and after the death of the Apostle of the Gentiles, St. Luke 
preached the Gospel in various nations and was finally crucified 
to an olive-tree in Greece. This accomplished Saint was one of 
the four inspired historians of our Lord, and the author of the 
only inspired history of the infant Church — the " Acts of the 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 1 1 7 

The first place blessed with his labors was Phi- 
lippi, a famous city and Roman colony. Here he 
confirmed his teaching with miracles, and founded 
a church eminent in the early annals of Chris- 
tianity. He next visited Thessalonica, the capi- 
tal of Macedon. The divine seed of the Gospel 
fell on good ground, and many Thessalonians be- 
came model Catholics, especially dear to their 
great spiritual father. 

We glance again at the ever-active Apostle of 
the Gentiles, and we see him traversing the streets 
of a city equally renowned in history and litera- 
ture. Athens 12 had not so far degenerated in the 

Apostles." " He was a man," says Rev. Dr. O'Reilly, whose 
" heart was as pure and beautiful as his mind was cultivated." 
What a model for the Catholic physician of our day ! The Church 
has always esteemed and honored the great profession of medi- 
cine. Tertullian called medicine " the sister of philosophy;" 
Saints Cosmas and Damian, who are daily commemorated by the 
Church in the Canon of the Mass — a most extraordinary distinc- 
tion — were brothers and famous physicians, who suffered mar- 
tyrdom about the year 303. The true Christian ph)^sician has a 
great mission. He can do much to save the soul as well as to 
heal the body— something he should never forget. "Acknow- 
ledge and appreciate your dignity," said the immortal Pius IX , 
in reply to an address of the Catholic doctors of Italy. " The first 
doctor is God. You are called upon to cure the diseases of the 
bod} r , but these often depend upon the diseases of ihe son/." 

12 Athens, anciently the capital of Attica, was the most impor- 
tant and splendid city in Greece. It was called by the ancients 
the Eye of Greece, and also of the civilized world. It was tho 
great seat of learning and the arts, and was the birth-place of the 



1 1 8 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

arts and sciences but that it still counted among 
its people many wise and learned men. The 
Athenians, however, were very superstitious ; and 
so careful that no deity should want due honor 
from them that they had an altar inscribed, " To 
the unknown God." 

St. Paul refers to this in the discourse which he 
made in the great court of the Areopagus. " Men 
of Athens," he said, " I perceive that in all things 
you are too superstitious. For passing by and 
seeing your idols, I found an altar also on which 
was written: To the unknown God. What, there- 
fore, you worship without knowing it, that I 
preach to you."' 

Among those whom the Saint converted was 
Dionysius, one of the judges of the Areopagus." 
"Thus was formed," says the venerable Father 
Thebaud, S.J., " the first Christian congregation 
at Athens." 

St. Paul now proceeded to Corinth, where he 
lodged in the house of a tent-maker named Aquilia. 
It was from this city that he wrote his two " Epis- 

most eminent orators, philosophers, and artists of antiquity. — 
MiUK 

13 The renowned tribunal of" the Areopagus flourished long after 
St. Paul— as late as the close of the fourth century, when Chris- 
tianity put an end to it as well as to all other national, provincial, 
or local traditions and customs. Strange, indeed, but so it was. 
Whatever had seen so many ages of duration vanished at once 
like the fabric of a dream. — Fr. Thebaud, S.J. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 1 19 

ties " to the Thessalonians in the year 52. These 
are his first writings. 14 

After a stay of eighteen months at Corinth, the 
Apostle set out for Jerusalem, where he kept the 
festival of the Passover. He then passed on to 
Antioch and travelled again through Asia Minor, 
everywhere encouraging the faithful and watering 
his young plants. 

He remained nearly three years in the city of 
Ephesus, preaching both in public places and 
private houses, and performing great miracles, 
even by handkerchiefs and other articles that had 
touched his person. For some months he ad- 
dressed himself chiefly to the Jews ; but it was in 
vain that he thundered in their obstinate ears. 
Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high-priest, fool- 
ishly attempted to cast out devils in the holy name 
of "Jesus, whom Paul preaches," though they 
were not Christians. " But the wicked spirit," 
writes St. Luke, " answering said to them : ' Jesus 
I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?' 
And the man in whom the wicked spirit was, 
leaping upon them and mastering them, prevailed 
against them so that they fled out of that house 
naked and wounded." 

After another journey to Macedon, we find St. 
Paul again in Jerusalem in the year 58. This was 

14 St. Paul also wrote " Epistles " to the Romans, Galatians, 
Ephesians, etc. See the New Testament. 



120 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

the fifth visit which he paid to the church of that 
city. He was in Jerusalem, however, but seven 
days when certain Jews who had opposed him in 
some distant mission came into the city to cele- 
brate a religious festival ; and seeing the great 
Christian preacher in the Temple, they stirred up 
the anger of the people, and even laid violent 
hands upon him, crying out : 

" Men of Israel, help ! This is the man that 
teaches all men everywhere against the people, 
and the Law, and this place; and, moreover, he 
has brought in Gentiles into the Temple, and has 
violated this holy place." 

This wild, lying harangue had the desired ef- 
fect. The wrath of the Jews was aroused. In a 
moment the whole city was in an uproar. The 
fanatical people ran together, and, taking St. 
Paul, they threw him out of the Temple, and 
were about to kill him when Claudius Lysias, 
the commander of the Roman garrison, inter- 
fered. 

The Apostle now obtained permission to speak, 
and, addressing the angry multitudes, he told the 
story of his miraculous conversion to the Faith. 
But no sooner had he finished than the Jews 
yelled out: "Away with such a one from the 
earth ! It is not fit that he should live." 

Claudius Lysias was no doubt irritated, and, 
wishing to learn from him the true state of the 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 1 2 1 

matter, he ordered that St. Paul should be tied to 
a pillar and scourged. But while the executioner 
was binding his hands, the Apostle asked the 
centurion that stood by : " Is it lawful for you to 
scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemnn- 
ed ? " On hearing that St. Paul was a Roman 
citizen, the commander was afraid and had him at 
once unloosed. He was then lead to the castle of 
Antonia. 15 

As the Roman commander was anxious to 
know the real nature of the charges brought 
against the Apostle of the Gentiles, he next day 
called the Jewish priests together in council ; 
"and bringing forth Paul, he set him before 
them." 

" 1 have conversed," said the Saint, looking at 
his bitter enemies, " with all good conscience 
before God, until this present hour." On hear- 
ing this, the high-priest, Ananias, with brutal 
malignity, commanded those that stood near 
him to strike the illustrious speaker on the 
mouth. 

" God," answered Paul, with the spirit and 
noble boldness of a man defending the sacred 
cause of truth — " God shall strike thee, thou 
whited wall. For sittest thou to judge me accord - 

16 The castle of Antonia. with its four elegant turrets of polished 
marble, kept jealous and unceasing watch over the precincts of 
the Temple. — Otsirii. 



122 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

ing to the law, and contrary to the law com- 
mandest me to be struck ? " 16 

This meeting ended in nothing but disputes 
among the Jewish priests themselves ; and fearing 
that the Apostle would be torn in pieces during 
the war of words, the Roman commander pru- 
dently sent a party of soldiers, who led him from 
the council-hall into the castle. Jesus Christ, to 
sho-w that He is nearest His servants when they 
are in affliction, graciously appeared to St. Paul 
the second night after this adventure, and encour- 
aged him with the assurance that the Apostle 
would have the honor of giving testimony to Him 
in imperial Rome itself. 

Hearing that certain Jews had banded together 
for the purpose ol murdering St. Paul, the Roman 
commander of Jerusalem sent him under a strong 
guard to Felix, the governor of the province, who 
resided at Caesarea. 17 His wrathful accusers fol- 
lowed the Apostle : but he defended himself be- 
lore Felix. This wicked governor, however, kept 
him for two years in prison. 

Festus soon succeeded Felix in the government 
of Judea ; and again St. Paul was impeached by 

iC This was a prophecy, if it be true, as people think, that this 
Ananias is the same who was massacred, together with his 
brother, by a rival faction of the Jews. — De L : ^ny. 

•" Cresarea. in the time of the Romans, was the chief city of 
Samaria. Under Herod it became one of the renowned seaports 
of the Mediterranean. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 123 

his fiendish enemies. The Apostle made a manly 
and Christian defence. " Neither against the law of 
the Jews," he answered his accusers, " nor against 
the Temple, nor against Caesar, have I offended in 
anything." 

But Festus, wishing to favor the Jews, said : 
" Will you go up to Jerusalem, and there be 
judged of these things before me ? " 

" I stand at Caesar's judgment-seat," replied St. 
Paul, " where 1 ought to be judged. To the Jews 
1 have done no injury, as you very well know. If 
I have injured them or have done anything wor- 
thy of death, I refuse not to die. But if there 
be none of these things whereof they accuse me, 
no man may deliver me to them. I appeal to 
Caesar." 

This was final. His appeal was recognized by 
the governor, as it was a right granted by the 
laws to Roman citizens. Some days after, King 
Agrippa came to visit Festus, who told him of 
St. Paul. The king was very desirous to see such 
a famous personage. The hall of audience ac- 
cordingly was prepared, and the Apostle brought 
forth. He preached before the king, and at the 
end of his touching discourse said : " Believest 
thou the prophets, O King Agrippa ? I know that 
thou believest." 

" Tn a little," answered Agrippa, " thou per- 
suadest me to become a Christian.'' He was 



124 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

almost converted. How many, unhappily, in our 
own day are like Agrippa ! 

As St. Paul had appealed to Caesar, Festus sent 
him on board of a vessel bound for Italy. He 
was accompanied by his dear companion, St. 
Luke, and several others. This memorable voy- 
age was marked by storms and adventures. The 
ship was wrecked on the island of Malta, but all, 
numbering two hundred and seventy-six persons, 
reached the shore in safety. " See what it is," 
exclaims St. John Chrysostom, " to live in the 
company of a saint — though a prisoner — and to 
have him for a protector in all dangers ! " 

The inhabitants of Malta treated the shipwreck- 
ed strangers with courteous hospitality, and 
kindled large fires to enable them to dry their 
water-soaked clothes, and to warm their chilled 
bodies. While St. Paul, however, was actively 
engaged in throwing a bundle of sticks on the 
fire, a viper, maddened by the heat, slipped out of 
the wood, and fastened its deadly fangs in his 
hand. 

" Undoubtedly this man is a murderer," whis- 
pered the people of Malta to one another, " who, 
though he has escaped the sea, yet vengeance 
does not suffer him to live." 

But the Saint shook the reptile into the flames, 
and received no injury. They imagined, how- 
ever, that after the poison would begin to operate, 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 125 

he would swell up and suddenly die. " But 
expecting long," says St. Luke, " and seeing that 
no harm came to him, they said that he was a 
god." 

The Apostle arrived at Rome in the year 61. 
No accusers appeared against him, and after two 
years he was set at liberty. He then left the 
imperial city, returning to the East. There he 
undertook new voyages, again preached the faith 
over many nations, and suffered chains, prisons, 
conflicts, torments, and continual dangers of 
death. 

About the year 64 he returned to Rome. He 
soon fell under the anger of the barbarous Nero, 
and was cast into the Mamertine prison. Here, in 
company with the Prince of the Apostles, he was 
closely confined from October to the following 
June; and when both passed out of its gloomy 
walls together, they were on the road to execu- 
tion and to everlasting glory and happiness. St. 
Paul was beheaded on the spot where stands the 
beautiful church now dedicated to him, on the 
29th of June in the year 65. 

"In this church," writes Dr. Neligan, "are 
three springs of water which miraculously gushed 
forth from the earth where the head of the Apos- 
tle touched it. In an angle is the column to 
which the Apostle was bound when he was be- 
headed. Near it is the altar of the Saint, orna- 



126 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

mented with columns of black porphyry. As the 
Apostle was led to the place where he was mar- 
tyred he converted three of the soldiers of the 
escort, who were martyred three days afterwards. 
As his head was cut off, instead of blood flowing 
from the body a stream of milk issued from it, 
which covered the ground and the lictor. The 
head made three bounds, and three fountains 
sprang up where it touched the earth, each still 
preserving a different temperature." 18 

18 The cathedrals of Pittsburgh, and St. Paul, Minnesota, are 
dedicated to God under the patronage of the Apost'e of the Gen- 
tiles. There are also churches in New York Brooklyn, Cincin- 
nati, Philadelphia, and many other places in this Republic bear- 
ing the name of St. Paul. The capital of Minnesota, which is the 
see of a bishop, is called after him. He is the pa ! ron of the Con- 
gregation of the Missionary Priests of St. Paul the Apostle, com- 
monly called Paulist Fathers. This congregation was founded 
at New York by Father Hecker, C.S.P., in 1858. 



jSmnt |dj[tt t 

THE APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST. 
DIED A.D. IOO. 




fOHN, 1 " the disciple whom Jesus loved " 
and the greatest of the Evangelists, was 
born in Bethsaida, a town of ancient 
Galilee, It stood upon a slight elevation over- 
looking the Sea of Galilee, a few miles beyond 
Nazareth. To-day its site is only marked by 
some desolate ruins. But one lofty column, lone 
and magnificent, still points its shaft towards the 
skies, and kindly marks the historic birthplace 2 of 
St. John and his brother, St. James the Great. 

John's father and mother were Zebedee and 
Salome. Salome seems to have been a generous- 

1 John is from the Hebrew, and signifies divine grace and beauty, 
or the gracious gift of Gc d. 

2 The spot containing these noble ruins is desolate and unin- 
habited. The lake plashes its waters sadly against the stones 
heaped together or scattered along the shore. Its very name of 
Bethsaida is lost to it. The Turks know the place only under 
the name of Tell-Houm or Tell-Hum. The duplicate column 
alone is left standing, as if to mark by a sign the cradle of the 
two brothers inseparably united in the faith and in the apostolate 

of Jesus. — Eaunard. 

127 



128 Little Lives of the Gi'eat Saints. 

hearted woman whom love made ambitious to 
see her sons great, as we learn from an anecdote 
in the Gospel. 3 Zebedee was a hardy, honest 
fisherman — a trade held in high estimation among 
the Jews. He owned a bark on the Sea of Gali- 
lee, and with the aid of his two sons and others 
enjoyed the luxury of daily toil and a modest 
competence. It appears there was a great inti- 
macy between the family of Zebedee and that of 
Jona, the father of Peter and Andrew. 

Our first sight of John, the future Apostle, is in 
the society of the greatest of prophets, John the 
Baptist. Besides the multitudes who flocked to 
receive baptism from the holy Precursor of Christ, 
he had his disciples, whom he instructed in the 
secrets of a higher doctrine, preparing them in 
solitude and recollection for the approaching re- 
velations of the kingdom of heaven. John was one 
of that faithful band. 

He had listened for about a year to the preach- 
ing of John the Baptist and his praises of the Son 
of God. He now longed for the arrival of the 
great One, and the day of His appearance was at 
hand. 

11 The next day again," writes our Evangelist 
himself, "John 4 stood and two of his disciples. 

"And, seeing Jesus walking, he said: ' Ecce 
Agnus DeV — Behold the Lamb of God! 

3 St. Matthew xx. 20. 4 John the Baptist. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. i 29 

" And the two disciples heard him speak, and 
they followed Jesus. 

" And Jesus, turning- and seeing them following 
Him, said to them : * What seek you ? ' Who said 
to Him : ' Rabbi, where dwellest Thou?' 

" He said to them : ' Come and see.' They 
came and saw where He abode, and they stayed 
with Him that day. Now it was about the tenth 
hour. 5 

41 And Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was 
one of the two who had heard of John, and fol- 
lowed him." 6 

There is no doubt that the other was St. John. 
One he never names in his beautiful Gospel, and 
that one is himself. 

Soon after Christ began his public life, He was 
one day walking on the shores of the Sea of Gali- 
lee. Peter and Andrew were just casting their 
net into the water, as the great Master of Life 
called them to be "fishers of men," and they 
followed Him. Passing along some distance 
farther, He came to the ship of Zebedee. John 
and James were there with their father mending 
nets. Christ called the brothers, and leaving 
" their nets and father they followed Him." 
Such, in brief, is the simple story of how St. 
John made the acquaintance of our Blessed Re- 

5 About four or five o'clock in the evening. 

6 St. John, chap. i. 35-40. 



130 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

deemer, and finally became His disciple, " the 
beloved disciple." 

St. John is said to have been the youngest of 
all the Apostles. He was probably about twenty- 
five years of age when he was called by Christ, 
for he lived seventy years after the suffering of 
his Divine Master. Piety, wisdom, prudence, and 
simplicity made him in his youth equal to those 
who with gray hairs had been long exercised in 
the practice of virtue. 

For him our Blessed Redeemer had an affection 
wholly particular. He was " the disciple whom 
Jesus loved." Nor was this without good reason. 
Love is gained by love. St. John loved his Divine 
Master with a boundless love. He was the very 
soul of meekness, and his virginal purity and 
beautiful innocence made him dear to Christ. 

" The singular privilege of his chastity," says 
St. Augustine, " rendered him worthy of the more 
particular love of Christ, because being chosen by 
Him a virgin, he always remained such." 

It is remarkable that our Lord was pleased to 
choose a virgin for His Mother, a virgin for His 
Precursor, and a virgin for His beloved disciple. 
And the Catholic Church, guided by her Divine 
Founder, onlv permits those who live perfectly 
chaste to minister at me altars of the Holy One. 
Purity, then, is a great virtue. It is a celestial 
virtue. In the words of St. Francis de Sales, it 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 131 

is " the beautiful and white virtue of the soul." 
" Blessed are the pure of heart," said Jesus Christ, 
" for they shall see God." 

St. John received new lessons in the school of 
the great Teacher. He grew in grace and vir- 
tue, for he followed Him who was " the way, the 
truth, and the life." He saw the miracles, the 
holy life, and the heavenly charity of the Son of 
God. He was one of those who had the rare 
privilege of being present at the Transfiguration 
of Christ 7 and at His agony in the Garden. 8 
Even at the Last Supper he was the favorite. 

7 Mount Thabor rises, glorious and majestic, from the luxuriant 
plains of Esdraelon. It has the appearance of a truncated cone, 
and, at a distance, looks like a loaf of sugar cut from the top. 
Its sides are rich with vegetation, and the centre place is stocked 
with an immensity of game of every variety. But its glory is for 
having been the mountain on whose top Christ, in company with 
a few Apostles, transfigured Himself, and in the presence of Mo- 
ses and Elias appeared clothed with white garments shining like 
the sun. — Vetromile. 

8 The Garden of Gethsemani is now enclosed with a high and 
massive wall. Outside, near the gate, there is a small pillar 
marking the spot where our Saviour was betrayed bv Judas with a 
kiss. There is a Plenary Indulgence aitached. The Garden is 
cultivated by a Franciscan brother, and is laid out in beds of 
flowers. To this spot our Lord used to retire ; here he prayed 
entire nights ; here He ate, drank, and conversed with His disci- 
ples ; here He gave commencement to his bitter Passion. In this 
place and on this spot He said to the eight Apostles to sit till He 
went yonder to pray; and here He commanded the three Apos- 
tles to stop and pray, removing from them a stone's throw. What 
a precious locality ! — Vetromile. 



132 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

The awful hour of the crucifixion was not far 
distant. " Amen, amen," exclaimed our Lord 
to the twelve, " I say to you, one of you shall 
betray me." 

" The disciples therefore looked one upon an- 
other," writes our Evangelist, " doubting of whom 
He spoke. 

" Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one 9 
of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. 

11 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, and 
said to him : ' Who is it of whom He speaketh?' 

" He therefore, leaning on the breast of Jesus, 
said to Him : ' Lord, who is it ? ' 

" Jesus answered : ' He it is to whom I shall 
reach bread dipped.' And when He had dipped 
the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot." 

In reading the Holy Book we discover a par- 
ticular friendship between St. John and St. Peter. 
They were old companions. But their affection 
for each other doubtless had its foundation in the 
mutual love and zeal which they cherished for 
their Divine Master. If St. Peter was the head 
of the infant Church, St. John was its heart. 

To the last he was faithful. St. Chrysostom 
says that when our Lord was apprehended, and 
the other Apostles fled, St. John never forsook 
Him. He seems to have accompanied Christ 
through all His sufferings. He attended Him 

9 St. John himself. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 133 

during His crucifixion. He stood under the 
cross. He confessed his Divine Master in the 
midst of arms and guards, and in the press of an- 
gry multitudes of His most fiendish enemies. 

And the dear, dying, and adorable Redeemer, 
who " loved His own who were in the world, and 
loved them to the end," did not forget His " be- 
loved disciple." He confided to him the care of 
His holy Mother. 

" Behold thy Mother " was uttered from the 
cross. " And from that hour the disciple took 
her to his own," and all mankind had a mother 
in the Most Blessed Virgin. 10 It was the consum- 
mation of fidelity on the part of St. John. Truly, 
it is good to stand at the foot of the cross and to 
suffer with Jesus Christ ! 

When Mary Magdalen brought word to St. 
Peter and St. John that she had not found Christ's 
body in the sepulchre, they both hastily directed 
their steps to the sacred spot. John, being the 
younger and more active, outran Peter and arrived 

10 The divine legacy did not stop at the disciple. It was ad- 
dressed to the world, and, under the name of St. John embracing 
the entire Church, it appointed a mother to the family of souls 
whose Father is in heaven. . . . Devotion to the Blessed 
Virgin is not the worship of weak minds and of dreamy souls, 
since it was implanted by Jesus Christ Himself in the great heart 
of St. John ; that it has its root beside the cross, and that, born 
among thorns, that lily was watered by the tears of the Mother of 
God and by the Blood of her Son. — Baunard. 



134 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

first. On examination they found nothing but 
44 linen cloths." The " beloved disciple," to use 
his own words, "saw and believed." The glori- 
ous Redeemer of mankind had indeed triumphed 
over sin and death ! 

Later Christ appeared to the Apostles as they 
were fishing on the Sea of Galilee. 11 He stood on 
the shore and spoke to them ; yet, according to 
the Sacred Book, " the disciples knew not that it 
was Jesus." They had toiled all night and caught 
nothing. He requested them, however, to cast 
their net " on the right side of the ship." It was 
done, and great was the multitude of fishes taken. V1 
This instantly opened the eyes of St. John. His 
spiritual nature was touched, and he recognized 
the presence of something more than mortal. 
Turning to St. Peter, he said : " It is the Lord ! " 

After the Ascension of Christ, St. John seems to 
have remained for a long time at Jerusalem, 
though he sometimes preached in other cities. 
A sweet and sacred duty attached him to Judea, 
where he was detained near the Most Holy Vir- 
gin. 13 But when the glorious Mother of God 

11 This was the third time that Christ had manifested Himself 
to his disciples after His Resurrection. — St Johnxxi. 14. 

12 " Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great 
fishes, one hundred and fifty-three. And although there were so 
man}-, the net was not broken." — St. John xxi. 11. 

13 The good Boanerges never was a travelling missionary. He 
had a special charge of the Blessed Virgin given him by Jesus on 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 135 

passed to her heavenly home, St. John went to 
reside at Ephesus, 14 a famous city of Asia Minor. 
We have already learned of the missionary labors 
of St. Paul in this region. 

St. John took care of all the churches of Asia, 15 
founded new sees, and placed bishops in them. 
Even in his extreme old age his zeal led him to 
make long journeys in the interest of religion. 

During the second general persecution of the 

the cross. This was enough honor and profit to the whole 
Church, in good conscience, although Protestants, and other 
men perhaps, do not appear to think so. — Fr. Thebaud, S.J. 

14 Ephesus contained the celebrated pagan temple of Diana, 
which occupied two hundred years in building. It was situated 
on the shores of the JEgean Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean. 
In the days of St. John, Ephesus was the capital and chief city of 
Asia Minor. 

But time has laid a heavy hand on this once flourishing centre 
of human activity. Ephesus is a dead city. A blackish stream 
called the Kara-sou waters a miserable village styled Ayasabouk, 
inhabited by about fifty ragged Turkish families. Below, near 
the sea shore, a large mass of ruins, bricks, broken columns, and 
crumbling walls, indicates the site of some ancient edifice. They 
are said to be the remains of the temple of the great Diana. In 
the centre of the village, upon a hill, stands an antique building 
of which the Mussulmans have made a mosque. That was for- 
merly the church of the Apo?tle St. John, and that is the sole 
remembrance left by the Angel of Ephesus to mark his passage. — 
Bannard. 

15 The term Asia, as now understood, was not used by the in- 
spired writers. The Asia mentioned in the New Testament was 
the Roman proconsulship of Asia, oi^which Ephesus was the 
capital.— Mitch: II . 



136 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Christians, in the year 95, he was seized by the 
proconsul of Asia. It is asserted by some that 
the following letter, the original of which is in 
the British Museum, was sent by that pagan offi- 
cial to the Emperor Domitian in relation to the 
great Apostle : 

" To the most pious Ccesar Domitian ever Augustus, 
the proconsul of Ephesus, greeting: 

" We make known to your glory that a man 
named John, of the race of the Jews, has come 
into Asia, where he preaches the crucified Jesus, 
affirming the latter to be God and the Son of 
God. Through him the worship of our invin- 
cible gods is forsaken, and the venerable temples 
built by your predecessors are menaced with 
approaching ruin. That man succeeds by his 
preaching, and by his illusive magic is convert- 
ing the people of Ephesus to the worship of a 
dead Man who was nailed to a cross. We our- 
selves, full of zeal for our immortal gods, have 
summoned that impious wretch before our tri- 
bunal, engaging him by caresses and threats 
to abjure his Christ and to offer agreeable liba- 
tions to the all-powerful gods of the empire. 
Unable to succeed in persuading him to do so, 
we have addressed these letters to your power, 
in order that it ma) 7 please you to make known 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 137 

to us that which will be most pleasing to your 
Majesty." 16 

St. John was summoned to Rome. His trial 
took place at the Latin Gate. He was command- 
ed to sacrifice to the gods, and, on his refusal, 
was condemned to be executed. Preparations 
were made. The death of such a man was a 
public spectacle of importance. The day came. 
The cruel, pompous emperor was present, and 
the corrupt Roman nobility gathered in crowds. 

The ceremony began by the emperor's cutting 
off the hair from the venerable head of the Apos- 
tle. He was then brutally beaten with rods, and 
finally plunged into a caldron of boiling oil. 
But it was like a bath for refreshment. He did 
not find death therein. " The fiery, seething 
mass," in the words of Bossuet, " suddenly chang- 
ed into a gentle dew." The glorious old saint 
came forth from the appalling ordeal with renew- 
ed strength and courage, untouched and un- 
harmed. This wonderful event took place in the 
month of May, about the year 96. 

Thus St. John was condemned to live, but he 
did not remain at Rome. The tyrant Domitian 
banished him to the isle of Patmos. 17 

16 See Baunard, " Life of the Apostle St. John," p. 344. 

17 Patmos is a small island situated off the western coast of 
Asia Minor. It has now a population of only about four thou- 
sand. " It would be difficult," writes the Abbe Baunard, " to 



138 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

In this retirement, the Apostle was favored 
with those heavenly visions which he has recount- 
ed in the "Apocalypse," or Book of Revelations. 
They were manifested to him on a Sunday in the 
year 96. The first three chapters are evidently a 
prophetic instruction given to seven neighboring 
churches 18 of Asia Minor, and to the bishops by 
whom they were governed. The last three chap- 
ters celebrate the triumph of Christ, and the 
judgment and eternal reward of the saints. The 
intermediate chapters are variously expounded. 

" Notwithstanding the depths of that divine 
book," writes the great Bossuet of the " Apoca- 
lypse," " we feel in reading it so sweet, yet at the 
same time so magnificent, an impression of the 
majesty of God, such high ideas of the mystery 
of Jesus Christ, so lively gratitude for the nation 
redeemed by His Blood — we find such noble 

find in the Archipelago a more desolate spot than the island 
whither St. John was banished. . . . The isle which the 
Italians designate by the name of Palmo has but one solitary 
palm-tree, which grows in a valley styled the Garden of the Saint, 
in like manner as, in his history, it has but one name, which 
overrules all others." — Life of the Apostle St. John. 

^ The cities in which these "seven churches " were founded 
were Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, 
and Laodicea. These cities are all now, with the exception of 
Smyrna and Philadelphia, either greatly decayed or in ruins, and 
the churches — once so distinguished — have hardly an existence. 
A few Christians, mostly of the Greek faith, are still to be found in 
Smyrna and some of the other towns. — Mitchell, Sacred Geography. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 139 

images of His victories and of His reign, with 
such wonderful songs to celebrate His greatness 
— that it is calculated to ravish heaven and earth. 

" All the beauty of the Scriptures is condensed 
in that book. Whatever is most touching, most 
vivid, and most majestic in the law and in the 
prophets receives therein new splendor, and re- 
passes before our eyes to fill us with consolation 
and graces for ever. 

" All the men inspired by God seem to have 
brought thither whatever they possess that is 
richest and grandest to compose the most beau- 
tiful picture imaginable of the glory of Jesus 
Christ ; and one would say that to write that 
admirable book John had received the spirit of 
all the prophets." 

St. John made his brief stay in Patmos remark- 
able. Even to-day his memory remains vivid, and 
the inhabitants point out spots which he blessed 
by labors and miracles. 

The following anecdote is from the Venerable 
Bede. A magistrate of Patmos, named Aristode- 
mus, seeing the miracles of John, grew enraged 
instead of being converted. He wished to put an 
end to them, and one day said to the Apostle : 
" Do you wish me to believe in your God ? If 
you do, accept this trial. Here is a powerful 
poison. Take it, and if you do not die from its 
effects I will become one of your disciples. 



140 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" But that you may be clearly aware of its na- 
ture, I shall cause a solution of it to be swallowed 
by two condemned criminals. They will die im- 
mediately, and after them you shall drink it." 

The barbarous wretch thought to get rid of 
John by such a cruel artifice ; but the Saint cheer- 
fully accepted the proposition. The two criminals 
drank the poison, and expired in agonies. Then 
the holy bishop took the fatal cup in his turn, 
armed himself with the Sign of the Cross, and 
slowly drank the contents. Smilingly he handed 
it to the magistrate, after which he hastened to 
raise to life the two unhappy victims of the deadly 
beverage. When Aristodemus saw this, his eyes 
were opened, and grace touched his heart. He 
believed in Jesus Christ, and became a Christian. 

The death of the tyrant Domitian, and the re- 
vocation of all his edicts by the Roman Senate, 
left St. John once more in freedom. He bade 
adieu to the isle of Patmos, and, after two years' 
absence, was enabled to visit Ephesus in the year 

97- 

The aged Apostle now recommenced his mis- 
sionary course throughout Asia Minor. Antiquity 
has preserved to us the remembrance of his closing 
and beautiful career. One after another he visit- 
ed the churches, combating heresies, correcting 
errors, consoling the sorrowful, and everywhere 
bearing with him that truth and gentle kindness 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 141 

which he learned on the sacred bosom of his Di- 
vine Master. 

The ancient Fathers inform us that it was chiefly 
to confute the blasphemies of Ebion and other he- 
retics who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ, 
and even his pre-existence before His temporal 
birth, that the glorious St. John composed his 
Gospel. There was still another reason. It was 
to supply certain omissions of the other three 
Gospels, which he had read and approved. 

The original was written in Greek, and by the 
Greeks he is styled The Theologian. St. 
Jerome relates that when he was earnestly re- 
quested by the bishops of Asia to write the Gos- 
pel, he answered that he would do it if, by order- 
ing a common fast, they would all put up their 
prayers together to the Almighty God. When it 
was ended, the great Apostle, enlightened from 
above, began his inspired and beautiful composi- 
tion : " In the beginning was the Word, and the 
Word was with God, and the Word was God." 

A legend tells that when St. John began his 
Gospel, and proclaimed the eternal generation of 
our Blessed Redeemer by the sublime sentence, 
" In the beginning was the Word," a clap of 
thunder resounded, and lightning suddenly flash- 
ed in the serene sky. That fact is an allusion to 
the name which Christ had bestowed upon him 
when He Himself styled him " the Son of Thun- 



142 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

der," and is the united emblem of the power and 
splendor of that heaven-descended eloquence. 

Such a book is not formed of merely human 
ideas. It requires the thought and dictation of 
God. It demands prayer and sacrifice. The Di- 
vine Spirit of Truth animated the writer with the 
most wonderful words ever heard on earth. 

" The Gospel of St. John," says Origen, " is, so 
to speak, the flower of the Gospels. He alone 
could penetrate to that depth whose head had 
rested upon the bosom of Jesus, and to whom 
Jesus gave Mary as mother. That confidential 
friend of Jesus and of Mary, that disciple treated 
as a second self by the Master, was alone capable 
of the thoughts and sentiments condensed in that 
book." 

The Gospel of the "beloved Apostle" is the 
most noble and sublime writing which the earth 
has ever possessed, or ever will possess. There 
is nothing strange in this assertion. The more 
a word resembles a thought, a thought a soul, 
and a soul God, the more beautiful is the whole. 
Hence what unequalled beauty and grandeur 
must emanate from a book whose words are the 
image of the thought and of the soul of God! 19 

" The hand of an angel," exclaims Herder, " has 
written it." 

Many interesting episodes marked the visitation 

19 Baunard. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 143 

of the churches of Asia Minor by the great Apos- 
tle. These reveal to us the state of souls, the 
singular customs of that time, and the almost 
boundless influence of St. John. We give one as 
related by Clement of Alexandria. 

In a city near Ephesus the Apostle, after hav- 
ing made a discourse, remarked a young man in 
the multitude that gathered near. He was hand- 
some, of noble stature, pleasing countenance, and 
his soul was far more beautiful than his body. 

Taking the youth with him, St. John presented 
him to the bishop of that place, saying : " I con- 
fide this young man to your care, in the presence 
of Christ and before this congregation. Christ 
will be my Avitness in regard to the sacred depo- 
sit which I place in your hands. It is the trea- 
sure of my heart." 

The bishop promised -to take care of him, but 
the venerable old Saint again repeated his in- 
junction. He then departed for Ephesus. 

The youth was received into the bishop's own 
house. The prelate educated him, loved him, 
cherished him as his own soul, and at length 
conferred upon him the celestial grace of Bap- 
tism. 

When, however, the bishop had signed the 
young man with the divine seal of salvation, he 
began to relax somewhat of his former vigi- 
lance; and his charge, finding himself thus too 



144 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

early set at liberty, soon saw himself surrounded 
by young men of his own age, idle, daring, and 
corrupt. 

At first they taught him the way to idleness, 
merrymaking, intemperance ; after a time he be- 
came a criminal, and finally a robber. Like a 
spirited horse whose mettle carries him over the 
precipice, the young wanderer fell into the utmost 
excesses. He even tried to outdo his wild com- 
panions, thinking that for himself at least all was 
lost. 

In vain the bishop tried to check him. It was 
now too late. 

At length the misguided young fellow assem- 
bled the herd of wretches among whom he moved, 
formed them into a troop of desperadoes, and be- 
came their bold and hardy leader. He was soon 
the terror of the country. 

After a certain time, however, the aged Apos- 
tle was summoned to the same city. 

Having ended his mission and settled various 
affairs, he solemnly addressed the bishop, saying: 
14 Restore to me the deposit which Christ and 
myself confided to you in the presence of this 
church of which you are pastor." 

The bishop was sorely puzzled. He thought 
that perhaps it was a question of some deposit ot 
money. But St. John said : 44 I reclaim from you 
the soul of our youthful brother." At these 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 145 

words the prelate lowered his eyes, wept, and 
answered : " He is dead ! " 

" How and by what manner of death?" en- 
quired the Apostle. " Dead," replied the other, 
" to God ; for now he is but a wicked, lost wretch 
— in short, a robber. He has quitted the Church, 
and he dwells on the mountain, which he has 
seized with an armed troop of men like himself." 

On hearing- this, St. John, overcome with sor- 
row, wept bitterly, and exclaimed : '■ Is this the 
sort of guardian that I have set to watch over 
a brother's soul ! " He then asked for a horse 
and guide, and hastily took his way towards the 
mountains. 

He reached the spot and was soon in the hands 
of the advance guard of the robbers. He coolly 
allowed them to take possession of his all, merely 
saying : " Lead me to your chief ; it is for him that 
1 have come." 

The armed chief awaited the captive. He saw 
him as the party approached, and, recognizing the 
holy and venerable Apostle, he was seized with 
shame and ran away. 

St. John, however, urged on his steed, and, for- 
getting his great age, called out loudly : " My son, 
why do you flee from me — an unarmed old man? 
Have pity on me, my child. Do not fear. There 
is still hope for you. I will be your guarantee to 
Christ. If necessary I will cheerfully give my 



146 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

life for you, even as the Lord has given His life 
for us all. I will give my soul to purchase yours. 
Stop, my son. Believe me, it is Christ who sends 
me after you." 

These kind, earnest words had the desired effect. 
The hardened robber — the leader in many a wild 
and desperate deed — stopped and cast his eyes 
towards the ground. He then threw away his 
arms, and trembled as the big, round tears rolled 
down his still handsome, manly countenance. 

St. John approached, and the robber chief hum- 
bly embraced his feet. The poor penitent was 
bathed in his tears as in a second baptism, but he 
still kept his right hand, which had shed so much 
blood, concealed under his garments. 

The Apostle encouraged him and pledged him- 
self that he would obtain his pardon from the 
great God, whose mercy is above all His works. 
The holy old man even fell upon his knees, seized 
that crime-stained hand — for evermore purified — 
and tenderly kissed it. 

" The young man," says the ancient writer, " was 
brought back into the assembly of the saints. 
John prayed with him. He fasted with him. 
Together they did penance. He healed his soul 
by his words as if by a sovereign charm, and he 
no more quitted him till he had raised him to the 
life of grace and restored him to the Church." 20 

20 Baunard. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 147 

Cassian tells another pleasing anecdote of St. 
John in his old age. One day while the Saint 
was playfully caressing a pet partridge a hunter 
who observed him thus amusing himself expressed 
surprise. 

" And you," asked the Apostle, " do you always 
carry that bow bent which I see in your hands?" 

" Not always," replied the hunter; "I unbend 
it and rest it, that it may preserve its spring and 
elasticity." 

" Then, young man," resumed St. John, " why 
do you wonder that I likewise unbend and repose 
my soul, that it may afterwards mount more freely 
towards heaven ? " 

St. Jerome relates that when age and weakness 
grew upon the Apostle at Ephesus, so that he was 
no longer able to preach, he had himself carried 
to the church, and on such occasions he simply 
said to his flock: "My dear children, love one 
another." After a time the people grew wearied 
at constantly hearing the same words, and they 
asked him why he repeated this advice so often. 
11 Because," replied the beloved disciple, " it is 
the precept of the Lord, and if you put it into 
practice you do enough." 

One after another the Apostles had bidden 
adieu to earth and passed to the heavenly home 
of their Divine Master, and for many a year St. 
John alone remained, the last of the glorious 



148 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

twelve. But one dav the warning- from above 
came. He was told that the hour of reward was 
not far distant. According to a beautiful belief, 
it was the Immaculate Virgin herself who whis- 
pered the welcome news. " O my son ! " said 
the sweet Lady, " you welcomed me to your 
dwelling when I was upon earth. Come with me 
now to the mansion of the great God." 

The moment came. He said farewell to the 
weeping- faces that crowded around, raised his 
eyes to heaven, and, with a prayer on his pure 
lips, gently expired. And thus passed away, at 
the age of ninety-four, in the year 100, the good 
Son of Thunder and the dear Apostle that Jesus 
loved. 21 

What a shining and beautiful life! It was so 
full of faith, hope, love, zeal, purity, gentleness, 
simplicity, and heroism ! Its splendor dazzles the 
eye of faith. But it was a life of action and suf- 
fering. St. John was no sleepy Christian, nor 
did he seek an easy way to heaven. He had 
learned the divine philosophy of love and labor 
and suffering on the bosom of Jesus Christ. 22 

21 At ancient Ephesus with its historic ruins there is still shown 
" the tomb of St. John the Evangelist and of St. Timothy, the cave 
of the Seven Sleepers, and the Portico of the Agora where Justin 
Martyr disputed with Tryphon the Jew. This city has long 
claimed to have given birth to Homer." — I'etromile. 

22 A good many churches in the United States beir the name of 
St. John the Evangelist. 



j&mnt §nllm t 

VIRGIN, MARTYR, AND PATRONESS OF SACRED MUSIC, 
DIED A.D. 23O. 



" At last divine Cecilia came, 
Inventress of the vocal frame ; 
The sweet enthusiast, from her sacred store, 
Enlarged the former narrow bounds 
And added length to solemn sounds, 
With nature's mother-wit and arts unknown before. 
Let old Timotheus yield the prize, 

Or both divide the crown ; 

He raised a mortal to the skies, 

She drew an angel down." l 

j|N the early part of the third century there 
lived at Rome 2 a beautiful girl who be- 
longed to a family illustrious for bravery 
and genius. She was a native of the imperial 

1 Dryden. 

2 The city of Rome is on the east side of the river Tiber, fifteen 
miles from the sea. It is often called the Eternal City. For 
over two thousand years it has been more or less connected with 
everything great and memorable enacted in the civilized world. 
Once the capital of the great Roman Empire, it finally became 
the patrimony of the successors of St. Peter, and as such — de- 
spite political knaves and royal robbers — it will likely remain to 
the end of time. 

149 




150 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

city. Her pure countenance reflected the divine 
beauty of her soul; and grace, modesty, and the 
continual thought of God's holy presence sur- 
rounded her, so to speak, with a mysterious 
charm. This was St. Cecilia, 3 who, in days of 
girlhood, had consecrated by a vow her virginity 
to Heaven. 

She was now eighteen. The Roman poor knew 
her charity. Often had they seen her alone in 
the caves of the martyrs, 4 or perhaps only accom- 
panied by a faithful servant. Her father was a 
pagan, but he respected the religion of his good 
and lovely daughter. 

It was the earnest wish of her parents 5 that 
Cecilia should marry, and they chose for her a 
distinguished husband. He seemed not unworthy 
of the honor. Valerian, though still a pagan, pos- 
sessed at least those natural gifts which prepare 
the soul for faith, hope, and charity. 

3 Cecilia is the feminine of Cecil. 

4 Now called the Catacombs. 

5 They were both pagans, but Cecilia from childhood had been 
brought up a Christian — perhaps through the influence of some 
of her relatives. "History," says Gueranger, "throws no light 
upon the means used by the Holy Spirit to win her to this celes- 
tial doctrine ; but we know that from her earliest infancy she was 
initiated in the mysteries of Christianity. Probably an aged rela- 
tive or faithful nurse, previously illuminated by the true light, 
instructed the young girl in the principles of that faith the pro- 
fession of which in those days almost necessarily involved the 
sacrifice of earthly happiness." — Life of St. Cecilia. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 151 

But who can express the anxious fears of Ce- 
cilia ? She had offered her heart to God, and 
He had accepted the precious offering. Could 
a pagan, however, understand this mystery, and 
would not this union of the soul with its Creator 
seem a strange folly to a young man like Valerian, 
still living in the world of the senses? 

More than one Christian soul has felt these 
chaste doubts. It is honorable to hesitate before 
making for a mere mortal a sacrifice for which a 
young girl sometimes can never console herself. 
Cecilia trembled, and prayed, and hoped almost 
against hope that she would not be forced to lose 
the palm of virginity. 

It must be said that she was very unhappy, but 
she threw herself on the protection of the good 
God. She prayed and fasted, and the nearer the 
wedding-day approached the more she increased 
her devotions and her penances. But the Al- 
mighty is always near those who call on Him. 
He could not leave His loving child alone and 
comfortless. In an hour when her sorrow was 
deepest He revealed to her that He had accepted 
her generous vow, in token of which He would 
send an angel to guard her chastity. 

At length, however, the wedding-day arrived, 
and Cecilia, dressed in shining robes of silk and 
gold, became a bride against the dearest wishes 
of her heart. When the wedding-party broke 



152 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

up she found herself alone with him who was to 
be her life-long companion. It was now that she 
confided to him, as far as she could, the secret of 
her pure, anxious breast in a conversation the 
charm of which has come down to us. 

" Valerian," she began, fixing her sweetly bril- 
liant eyes on the attentive young nobleman, 
" there is a secret that I wish to confide to you. 
I have a lover, an angel of God, who watches over 
me with jealous care. If you preserve inviolate 
my virginity, he will love you also as he loves me, 
and will overpower you with his favors." 

Valerian was much astonished, and wished to 
know this angel. 

11 You shall see him," said Cecilia, " when you 
are purified." 

11 How shall I become so ? " asked Valerian. 

" Go to Urban," 6 whispered the beautiful Saint. 
" When the poor hear my name, they will take 
you to his sanctuary. He will explain to you our 
mysteries." 

Led by an unknown power, the young man con- 
sented to go. We know the happy result of this 
step — his interview with Pope Urban in the ca- 
tacombs, his conversion, and his baptism. Still 
dressed in his white robe, he returned to Cecilia. 

Valerian could now understand the love of the 
angels and its perfect beauty. In future he 

6 Pope Urban I. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 1 53 

loved Cecilia with a love that was more than 
love; but it was as his sister in God, to whom 
belong the heart, and soul, and intellect. He un- 
derstood the value of the soul. Nor is it mere 
conjecture to say that others loved in those 
Christian ages as the spiritual and pure-minded 
Valerian did. 

Valerian's brother, Tiburtius, soon sought the 
residence that was blessed by the presence of our 
Saint. They did not labor in vain to show him 
that his gods were only idols. Subdued by the 
mysterious charm of the Christian virgin, con- 
quered by the eagerness of his brother, Tiburtius 
also wished to see the angel who watched over 
Cecilia. If for this it was necessary to be puri- 
fied, purified he would be ; and thus he became 
the first conquest of Valerian, who had ardently 
besought Heaven for such a result. 

Souls such as these were too beautiful for pa- 
gan Rome. The governor, in the absence of the 
emperor, summoned Valerian and Tiburtius be- 
fore his tribunal. 

" Valerian," said the governor, " your brothers 
head is evidently crazed ; you, I hope, will be 
able to give me a sensible reply." 

"There is only one Physician," answered Va- 
lerian, " who has deigned to take charge of my 
brother's head and of mine. He is Christ, the 
Son of the living God ! " 



154 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" Come," said the governor, " speak with wis- 
dom." 

" Your ear is false," replied Valerian ; " you 
cannot understand our language." 

The two young nobles, like brave men, pro- 
claimed their faith in Jesus Christ. Valerian 
died a hero and martyr. He went to wait for his 
pure and beautiful Cecilia in heaven. Nor was 
he forsaken by Tiburtius. 

Cecilia piously took charge of their bodies, and 
prepared to follow them on the path to eternity. 
Soon she was called to answer for her conduct, 
but she disconcerted the judge. Before such 
loveliness, purity, heroism, and innocence threats 
and entreaties utterly failed, and corrupt pagan- 
ism felt abashed. 

The noble young lady, however, received her 
sentence. She was convicted of loving the poor 
and of adoring a crucified God, and was instantly 
confined in the bath-room of her own house. 
She was to be suffocated in a hot vapor-bath. 
But in the midst of this fiery atmosphere the holy 
Cecilia remained uninjured. 

The stupefied jailers related that they had dis- 
covered her singing the praises of God. On 
hearing this the wrath of the pagan governor 
knew no bounds. The executioner was summon- 
ed. With a trembling hand he inflicted three 
wounds on the neck of the virgin-martyr, but 



: 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 155 

failed to sever the head. Terrified himself, he 
then ran away. 

Cecilia, however, lived three days, bathed in 
her blood and stretched on the flags. The 
Christians gathered around her. She was able 
to bid farewell to the poor, to whom she had given 
all her property. Then, feeling her strength fail, 
and while Pope Urban was in the act of giving 
her his blessing, she drew her robe around her, 
and joyfully gave back to God her bright and 
beautiful spirit. This memorable event happen- 
ed about the year 230. 

According to her last desire, the Pope trans- 
formed the house that had witnessed her martyr- 
dom into a church. The bath-room became a 
chapel, and by its arrangement bears witness to- 
day to the truth of the Saint's life. One can still 
see the mouth of the pipes which let in the vapor, 
covered with a grating ; and on the same flags 
where the Roman virgin expired, the kneeling 
Christian can ponder down deep in his heart the 
example of lofty heroism which the gentle and 
pure-souled Cecilia gave to the world. 7 

The Christians of the Eternal City erected a 
church in honor of St. Cecilia. This edifice, 
however, having fallen into decay, Pope Pascal I. 
began to rebuild it ; but he felt troubled as to 
how he should find the body of the Saint. It was 

7 Revue Genirale, as translated in the Catholic World, yol, xiii, 



156 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

thought that, perhaps, the Lombards had taken 
it away, as they had many others from the ceme- 
teries of Rome, when they besieged that city in 

755- 

One Sunday, as this Pope was assisting at 
Matins in St. Peter's, he fell into a slumber, in 
which he was told by St. Cecilia herself that the 
Lombards had in vain sought her remains, and 
that he should find them. Accordingly, he had a 
search made, and discovered those sacred relics 
in the cemetery called by her name. The body 
was clothed in a robe of gold tissue, with linen 
cloths at her feet, dipped in l>e#jDlood. With her 
body was also found that of her husband, Valerian. 
The Pope caused them to be translated to the 
Church of St. Cecilia in 821. 8 

Is it wonderful that such a touching and beauti- 
ful story should be repeated, age after age, by 
poets, painters, and sacred orators ? St. Cecilia 
has been praised by the pen of the Venerable Bede 
and other illustrious saints. The great St. Thomas 

s In 1599, Cardinal Sfondrate — who grandly rebuilt the church 
of Cecilia — ordered the tomb to be opened with solemnity. To 
the great delight and admiration of all, the body of the Roman 
virgin, respected by long ages, appeared in a state of miraculous 
preservation. The chaste folds of her cjress were restrained by a 
girdle. At her feet were found the blood-stained cloths which had 
bound her wounds. Three fingers of her right hand were open, 
as if even in dying she wished to avow her belief in the sublime 
mystery of the Holy Trinit) 7 . 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 157 

Aquinas preached sermons in her honor. Ra- 
phael, Rubens, Guido, and Fra Angelico have 
employed their exquisite genius to picture the 
divine patroness of music, whose rare soul like a 
celestial lyre had responded to the faintest inspi- 
rations of heaven. For over fifteen centuries her 
name has been mentioned in the Canon of the 
Mass — an honor truly extraordinary. 9 

What food for wholesome reflection there is in 
the short but sublime life of this virgin-martyr! 
It warns us to lift up our hearts. It points to 
the skies. We are made for heaven. The soul 
daily whispers this, for it is naturally Christian. 
Let us, then, know how to turn from the hurry 
of life and the tinkling sound of human words, 
and think occasionally of the great God. It will 
bring peace to the troubled spirit. Oh ! look at 
the example of this bright and blessed girl. 
Pray to her. Ask her protection. She has 

9 It was on St. Cecilia's day that the Catholic founders of 
Maryland sailed from England. ' On the 22d of the month of 
November, in the year 1633, being St. Cecilia's day," writes 
Father White, S.J., " we set sail from Cowes, in the Isle of 
Wight, with a gentle east wind blowing." — Relatio Itineris in 
Marylandiam . 

There are churches in New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, 
Louisville, and various other places, dedicated to God under the 
name of St. Cecilia ; and nearly all Catholic societies of sacred 
music bear her beautiful name. 



158 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

known how to find that love, and peace, and 
happiness which the world cannot give. 

1 Music the fiercest grief can charm, 
And Fate's severest rage disarm ; 
Music can soften pain to ease 
And make despair and madness please : 
Our joys it can improve, 
And antedate the bliss above. 
This the divine Cecilia found, 
And to her Maker's praise confined the sound. 
When the full organ joins the tuneful choir, 
The immortal powers incline their ear : 
Borne on the swelling notes our souls aspire, 
While solemn airs improve the sacred fire ; 
And angels lean from heaven to hear. 
Of Orpheus now no more let poets tell ; 
To bright Cecilia greater power is given — 
His numbers raised a shade from hell, 
Hers lift the soul to heaven." 



THE ILLUSTRIOUS MARTYR. 
DIED A.D. 258. 




|MONG the most illustrious of the martyrs 
is the glorious St. Lawrence. He is hon- 
ored by the whole Church. His name 
sanctifies one of the great rivers of America, a 
river whose majestic grandeur is the wonder of 
travellers and the inspiration of poets — 

. . . " the river whose mighty current gave 
Its freshness for a hundred leagues to ocean's briny wave." 1 

J The conferring of this name, as nearly every one knows, origi- 
nated with the famous Catholic navigator and discoverer of Cana- 
da, James Cartier, whose second voyage is thus described by 
Parkman : " On the 16th of May, 1535, officers and sailors assem- 
bled in the Cathedral of St. Malo, where, after confession and 
hearing Mass, they received the parting blessing of the bishop. 
Three days later they set sail. The dingy walls of the rude old 
seaport, and the white rocks that line the neighboring shores of 
Brittany, faded from their sight, and soon they were tossed in a 
furious tempest. But the scattered ships escaped the danger, 
and, reuniting at the Straits of Belle Isle, steered westward along 
the coast of Labrador till they reached a small bay opposite the 
island of Anticosti. Cartier called it the Bay of St. Lawrence, a 
159 



160 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

We know little as to the birth and education of 
St. Lawrence, 2 but the Spaniards call him their 
countryman. While still a youth his remarkable 
virtue attracted the notice of St. Sixtus, then 
Archdeacon of Rome, who took him under his 
protection and became his instructor. 

When St. Sixtus 3 became Pope, in 257, he or- 
dained Lawrence deacon ; and, though he was yet 
young, the Pontiff appointed him first among the 
seven deacons who served in the Church of the 
Eternal City. He thus became the Pope's arch- 
deacon. This was a charge of great importance, 
to which was annexed the care of the treasury of 
the Church and the distribution of its revenues 
among the poor. 

In the year 257 the Emperor Valerian publish- 
ed his bloody edicts against the Catholic Church. 
He foolishly flattered himself that its destruction 
was merely a question of time and rigorous per- 
secution, not knowing it to be the work of the 
Almighty. His plan was as simple as it was 
stupid and blindly brutal. He would cut off the 

name afterwards extended to the entire gulf and to the great 
river above." — Pioneers of France in the New World. 

Cartier's pious reason for giving it the name of our Saint was 
this : he reached the bay on the 10th of August, the day on which 
the Church celebrates the feast of St. Lawrence. 

2 Lawrence is from the Latin, and signifies crowned with laurel. 
The name is also written Laurence. 

3 He was the second Pontiff of that name. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 1 6 1 

shepherds and disperse the flocks ; and hence he 
began his barbarously elaborate scheme by order- 
ing all bishops, priests, and deacons to be put to 
death. 

Pope St. Sixtus II. was seized in about a year 
from this date, and led to execution. While on 
the way St. Lawrence followed him with tears in 
his eyes ; and thinking himself ill-treated because 
he was not to die with the holy Pontiff, said : 

" Father, where are you going without your 
son? Why do you not take your deacon with 
you as usual ? Shall you go alone to offer your- 
self a sacrifice to God ? What have I done to 
displease you that you thus cast me off?" 

" My son," replied the brave Vicar of Christ, 
" it is not I who leave you. Our Lord reserves 
you for a sharper battle. I am old and feeble, 
and I must die after a slight skirmish ; but you, 
who are young and strong, shall have more glory 
in your triumph. Dry your tears. In three days 
you shall follow me." 

The Holy Father then gave Lawrence some di- 
rections about immediately distributing all the 
treasures of the Church among the poor, lest 
they should be robbed of their patrimony by its 
falling into the hands of the pagan persecutors. 
Having said this, he waved a last adieu to his 
faithful deacon. 

Lawrence was full of joy, for he had just heard; 



1 62 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

that he should soon be called to God. But a 
pressing duty was to be performed. He set out 
immediately to seek the poor widows and or- 
phans, and gave them all the money which he had 
in his keeping. He even sold the sacred vessels to 
increase the sum. This was also given to the poor. 

In those early days the Church at Rome was 
possessed of considerable riches. Besides provid- 
ing for its ministers, it maintained many widows 
and virgins and fifteen hundred poor people. The 
Holy Father or his archdeacon kept a list contain- 
ing the names of these persons. 

Some of the officers who led the Pope to exe- 
cution heard him speak of money and treasures, 
and took care to repeat his words to the Prefect 
of Rome. This grasping official at once imagined 
that the Christians had hidden vast treasures. He 
became deeply interested in the matter; for he 
was no less a devout worshipper of gold and sil- 
ver than of Mars and Jupiter. 

He sent for St. Lawrence. " You Christians 
complain," began the wily hypocrite, " that we 
treat you with cruelty ; but now there is no ques- 
tion of tortures. I simply ask what you can easily 
give. I am told that your priests offer up sacri- 
fices in golden chalices, that the sacred blood is 
received in silver cups, and that in your meetings 
after night you have wax tapers fixed in golden 
candlesticks. 



I 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 163 

" Bring- these concealed treasures to light. The 
emperor has need of them for the support of his 
army. It is said that according to your doctrine 
you must render to Caesar the things that belong 
to him. I do not think that your God ever caused 
money to be coined. He brought none into the 
world with Him. He brought nothing but good 
words. Then give us the money, and be rich in 
words." 

" The Church," calmly replied St. Lawrence, 
" is, in truth, rich ; nor has the emperor any trea- 
sure equal to its possessions. I will take pleasure 
in showing you a valuable part ; but allow me a 
little time to set everything in order and to make 
an inventory." 

The prefect was fairly delighted. He did not 
understand the kind of treasure to which Law- 
rence referred, and fancying that he was already 
possessed of hidden wealth, he gladly gave the 
Saint a respite of three days. 

During this time Lawrence went all over the 
city, seeking out from street to street the poor 
who were supported by the charity of the Church. 
He knew where to go, and well the poor knew 
him. On the third day he had his treasures ga- 
thered together. He placed them in rows before 
the church, and they consisted of hundreds of the 
aged, the decrepit, the blind, the lame, the maim- 
ed, the lepers, widows, virgins, and young orphans. 



164 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

He then proceeded to the residence of the pre- 
fect, and invited him to come and see the treasures 
of the Church. The haughty official was aston- 
ished to behold such a number of poor wretches. 
To him it was a sickening sight that aroused 
naught but anger, fury, and disappointment. He 
turned about, and looked at the holy deacon with 
an air of fierce scorn. 

" What are you displeased at? " exclaimed the 
dauntless Lawrence. " Behold the treasures I 
promised you ! I have even added to them the 
gems and precious stones — those widows and con- 
secrated virgins who form the Church's crown. 
It has no other riches. Take these and use them for 
the advantage of Rome, the emperor, and yourself." 

The enraged prefect, no longer able to control 
himself, cried out: " Do you thus mock me? Are 
the ensigns of Roman power to be thus insulted ? 
I know that you wish to die. This is your foolish 
vanity. But you will not take leave of life so 
soon as you imagine. I will see to that. I will 
protract your tortures. Your death shall be slow 
and bitter. You shall die by inches." 

Lawrence was neither annoyed nor terrified. 
He feared God alone. " Wicked wretch," he re- 
plied with energy, " do you expect to frighten me 
with these tortures? To you they may be tor- 
tures, but to me they are none. I have long 
wished for such dainties." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 165 

On hearing this the prefect was in a hurry for 
nothing but revenge. The Saint was stripped, 
and his naked body torn with a kind of whips 
called scorpions. After this severe scourging, 
plates of red-hot iron were applied to his bleeding 
sides. Lawrence, in spite of such appalling treat- 
ment, presented a joyful countenance, while the 
prefect raged with the fury of a wild beast. He 
could not comprehend how any human being 
could cheerfully endure such punishment. He 
even accused the martyr of being a magician, and 
threatened that unless he at once sacrificed to the 
gods he would add to his torments. 

u Your torments," answered St. Lawrence, 
" will have an end, and I do not fear them. Do 
what you will to me. I am prepared for the 
worst." 

The prefect at once ordered him to be beaten 
with leaden plummets, and soon his whole body 
was a bruised and torn mass. The Saint prayed 
to God to receive his soul; but a voice from hea- 
ven, which was heard by all who stood around, 
told him that he had yet much to suffer. 

" Romans," shouted the brutal prefect, " do you 
see how the devils help and encourage this fellow, 
who derides both the gods and the emperor, and 
has no respect for their sovereign power, nor any 
fear of torments?" 

Lawrence was next placed on a rack, and his 



1 66 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

suffering body stretched so that every limb was 
dislocated. His flesh was torn with hooks, but 
he did not flinch. Calm and cheerful, he prayed 
and suffered. An angel was seen to wipe his face 
and bleeding shoulders, and the sight of the 
blessed spirit converted one of the soldiers, who 
went up to the Saint and asked to be baptized. 

The frantic prefect now ordered a large grid- 
iron to be procured. It was soon in readiness, 
and live coals, partly extinguished, were thrown 
under it that the martyr might be slowly burned. 
He was placed naked upon this iron bed, and 
bound with chains over a slow fire. His flesh 
was soon broiled, and little by little the cruel 
heat was forcing its way into his very heart and 
bowels. A light beautiful to behold shone from 
his face, and his burning body exhaled a most 
sweet odor. The martyr, says St. Augustine, 
felt not the torments of the persecutor, so strong 
and vivid was his desire of possessing Christ. 
Thus in the midst of appalling torments he en- 
joyed that peace which the world cannot give — 
the peace of God. 

Turning to the prefect, St. Lawrence said to 
him, with a cheerful smile : " Let my body now be 
turned ; one side is broiled enough." 

The cruel prefect ordered him to be turned. 
It was done, and the Saint said : " Eat now, for it 
is well done." The prefect again insulted him; 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 167 

but the martyr continued in earnest prayer, with 
sighs and tears imploring the divine mercy with 
his last breath for the conversion of the city of 
Rome. Having finished his prayer, a ray of im- 
mortality seemed to light up his manly counte- 
nance ; he lifted his eyes toward heaven, and his 
pure, holy, and heroic spirit went to receive the 
shining reward promised to those who suffer per- 
secution for the sake of justice and religion. 

" The admirers of pagan fortitude," says Dr. 
MacHale, " may dwell with rapture on the many 
trophies which were won by the primitive patri- 
ots of Rome. They may quote the devotion of a 
Curtius leaping into the lake, the courage of a 
Scgevola flinging his hand into the fire, or the in- 
exorable fidelity of a Regulus returning to Car- 
thage with the certainty of the exquisite tortures 
he was fated to endure. Yet these and similar 
instances of extraordinary fortitude with which 
Roman history abounds cannot bear a compari- 
son with the calm and tranquil patience with 
which this holy servant of God bore the slow tor- 
tures of the gridiron." 

An ancient writer ascribes the entire conversion 
of the city of Rome to the prayers of St. Law- 
rence. God even began to grant his request at 
the moment it was made. Several senators who 
were present at his death were so moved by his 
piety and heroic fortitude that they became Chris- 



1 68 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

tians on the spot. The death-blow was given to 
idolatry. From that day it declined, and soon 
pagan Rome lived only in the pages of his- 
tory. 4 

How sublime is that ancient faith which can 
produce such a man as the glorious St. Lawrence! 
We have the same holy and beautiful faith. We 
are Catholics. But in the practice of virtue how 
little heroism we commonly display ! Yet virtue 
demands sacrifices. Pain is the path to holiness. 
We are in the world only to please God. We 
must learn the nobility of suffering. It is the true 
test of love. Christ suffered, the Blessed Virgin 
suffered, the Saints suffered ; and no soul has ever 
become truly great and good and virtuous that 

4 On the very eastern confines of the ancient city (Rome) stands 
the venerable church of St. Lawrence, the celebrated deacon 
whose heroic sufferings and death foim one of the most interest- 
ing episodes in ecclesiastical story. No traveller or pilgrim 
could visit the " Eternal City" without likewise visiting a spot 
which is consecrated by the memory of one of the most illustri- 
ous in the entire catalogue of its numerous martyrs. . . . 
This church is ranked among the seven to the visit of which the 
popes have annexed a Plenary Indulgence. Under the canopy 
of the great altar the bodies of the Saint and of St. Stephen, the 
first martyr, repose, united in sepulture as they were in the office 
of deacon and in the glory* of martyrdom. — Archbishop MacHa'e, 
Letter L V. 

There are churches in New York, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and 
various other places in this republic bearing the name of St. 
Lawrence. Montreal, Canada, has its college of St. Lawrence. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 169 

has not been disciplined in the school of affliction. 
In short, without some suffering there can be no 
real greatness, no heroism, no carrying of that 
blessed and mysterious burden — the cross ! 



jimttf jlgtts$ t 



THE YOUNG ROMAN VIRGIN AND MARTYR. 
DIED A.D. 304. 




j]T the beginning of the fourth century there 
lived in Rome a rich, noble, and beauti- 
ful girl who was happily named Agnes.' 
In accordance with her high birth, her parents 
had her carefully educated ; but her chief glory 
was a stainless purity of soul, for she had con- 
secrated her young heart to Heaven by a vow of 
virginity. 2 

1 Agnes signifies pure or chaste. 

2 "What is a vow?" it may be asked. " A vow," writes Perry, 
"is a free and deliberate promise made to God of doing some- 
thing good, with the intention of binding one's self to do it. A 
vow, in the making of it, is a free act ; but when made it is bind- 
ing under the strictest obligation. . . . It is more meritori- 
ous to perform good works by vow than without a vow, because 
by a vow we sacrifice our liberty to God — we give Him not only 
the fruit, but the tree itself." — Instructions. 

A vow to God, however, is something so good and holy that it 
should never be made lightly or without careful consideration. 
This is especially true as regards the vow of chastity. " No 
one," says the learned Dr. Weninger, S.J., "must take such a 
vow without long previous reflection and the advice of a prudent 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 171 

Beauty is the reflection of heaven in the human 
countenance. The soul as it grows lovely trans- 
forms in its turn the body which it animates, and 
thus the living mirror of the face reflects strength 
and gentleness, peace and purity. 3 

As Agnes was one day returning from school, 

confessor ; still, should any one have bound himself to its obser- 
vance, let him carefully attend to his promise." — Lives of the 
Saints, vol. i. 

" It is much better not to vow," declares the Holy Book, " than 
after a vow not to perform the things promised." — Eccles. v. 4. 

3 The last sentence expresses a physiological truth. "No act 
we perform," says Steele, " ends with itself. It leaves behind it 
in the nervous centres a tendency to do the same thing again. 
Our physical being thus conspires to fix upon us the habits of a 
good or an evil life. Our very thoughts are written in our mus- 
cles, so that the expression of our faces and even our features 
grow into harmony with the lives we live" — Human Physiology, 

"The muscles of the features," writes Holden, "are generally 
described as arising from the bony fabric of the face, and as in- 
serted into the nose, corners of the mouth, and the lips. But 
this gives a very inadequate idea of their true insertion. They 
drop fibres into the skin all along their course, so that there is 
hardly a point of the face which has not its little fibre to move it. 
The habitual recurrence of good or evil thoughts, the indulgence 
in particular modes of life, call into play corresponding sets of 
muscles which, by producing folds and wrinkles, give a per- 
manent cast to the features, and speak a language which all can 
understand, and which rarely misleads. Schiller puts this well 
when he says that it is an admirable proof of infinite wisdom thai 
what is noble and benevolent beautifies the human countena* ce ; 
what is base and hatfiul imprints upon it a revolting expression." — 
Medical and Surgical Landmarks. 



172 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

her modesty and fascinating beauty attracted the 
idle glance of Eutropius, son of the governor of 
Rome. In a moment he was desperately in love, 
for never before had he seen such a sweet, angelic 
countenance. Day and night that vision of love- 
liness haunted his excited mind. At length he 
visited the parents of Agnes and asked her hand 
in marriage. But as their daughter was only 
twelve years of age, they did not encourage the 
young man's proposal. 

Not so easily, however, was Eutropius to be 
put off. He determined to speak to Agnes her- 
self, hoping that she would listen better than her 
father and mother. He watched for her daily in 
the street. One day as she passed he ran up, 
told his love, and begged her to accept some 
costly and brilliant jewels which he held in his 
hand. 

Agnes declined the gifts, and with great dignity 
and earnestness said : " Leave me ! There is An- 
other who possesses my whole heart. I love Him 
more than my own life and soul. He is so great, 
noble, and beautiful that I will ever remain true 
to Him." 

It is not likely that the young Roman heathen 
grasped the full meaning of the Saint's words. 
But he went away sad at heart. He became dis- 
tracted with grief and disappointment, and in a 
short time fell sick. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. i J2> 

When the governor of Rome learned the cause 
of his son's illness, he sent a third person to the 
home of St. Agnes to ask her to accede to the 
wishes of Eutropius. It was in vain. She gave 
a final refusal. 

As may be readily conceived, this affair was 
talked over again and again in the governor's re- 
sidence. On one occasion an officer present re- 
marked in a tone of sarcasm : " It is useless to 
waste time in the matter. Agnes, being a Chris- 
tian, is a witch, and imagines Christ to be her 
bridegroom." 

This was a new and delightful item of informa- 
tion. The governor immediately ordered her to 
be arrested. Under the pretext of proceeding 
against her as a Christian, he hoped to be able to 
gain another point by forcing her to marry his 
infatuated son. 

The holy and beautiful Agnes soon stood an 
accused prisoner before his tribunal. In the 
sweetest words possible the governor urged his 
request a second time. He promised honors and 
estates, but soon saw he was wasting his breath 
to no purpose. Then he began to threaten with 
all the cunning of an experienced knave. 

" Either renounce your Christ," said he sternly, 
" and consent to the marriage, or, if you desire 
to remain a virgin, offer sacrifice to the god- 
dess Vesta and enroll yourself among the Ves- 



1 74 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

tals. 4 Make your choice. If you refuse both of- 
fers, however, I will have you sent to an infamous 
abode, where the vilest wretches may treat you 
just as they please." 

Agnes quailed not before the dangers that now 
threatened her on every side. " It is in vain 
you hope for my consent," replied the holy hero- 
ine. " I will neither renounce Christ nor offer 
sacrifice to Vesta. The one true God only do I 
adore. You threaten me with disgrace, but I 
have an angel of the Lord for protector. He 
will guard my frail body. You shall soon learn 
that my God is a God of purity. He will bring 
your wicked purpose to naught." 

Such a bold and noble answer enraged the 
pagan governor. With all the malignity of a 
base nature, this monster ordered the pure, lovely 
girl to be stripped of her clothing and led in a 
state of complete nudity to a den of iniquity. But 
the great God was near, and took this occasion 
to work a grand and never-repeated miracle in 
order to prove His love for holy chastity. In a 
moment the rich hair of her head grew in such 
a profusion of length and thickness that it en- 

4 Vesta was the goddess of fire among the pagan Romans, and 
the Vestals were virgins consecrated 10 Vesta and to the service 
of watching the sacred fire, which was kept perpetually burning 
upon her altar. They were six in number, and their term of ser- 
vice lasted thirty years. — Webster. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 175 

circled her entire person like a close-woven gar- 
ment. 

When the abode of infamy was reached, St. 
Agnes saw an angel of God who was sent there for 
her special protection. He handed her an exqui- 
site dress whiter than snow. She put it on. A 
dazzling brilliancy now surrounded her divine- 
ly-protected person ; and many whose brutal in- 
stincts brought them near turned away with feel- 
ings of awe and mysterious respect on behold- 
ing the shining grandeur of that spotless young 
maiden. 

Eutropius alone had the wicked audacity to 
approach the dear Saint and offer violence ; but 
in the twinkling of an eye he was struck blind by 
the angel, and fell trembling to the floor. He 
was dead. It was the swift punishment of an im- 
pure scoundrel. 

Soon it became known that the governor's son 
was killed, and a great outcry was raised through 
the whole city. Agnes was a wretched Christian 
and a witch, they exclaimed, and Eutropius had 
perished by her vile enchantments. The unhap- 
py father rushed to the place, and like a madman 
tore his hair in grief and anguish. 

"O you sorceress and infernal monster!" 
shouted the furious governor, " born for my 
misery, why have you killed my son ? " 

" I have not killed your son," answered the 



176 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

young Saint. " He perished by his own wicked 
rashness. Unlike others who came here, he did 
not heed the brightness of this room, or re- 
spect the great God and the angel who guards 
my virginity ; and Heaven instantly chastised his 
blind and brutal obstinacy." 

The anger of the governor gave way to calm- 
ness, and he said : " Then I beg of you to restore 
my son again to life. If you do the world will 
know that he did not die of your magic." 

" Your hardened unbelief," replied Agnes, 
" merits not that Almighty God should raise 
your son from the dead ; but I will beg this 
favor of Him, that Rome may know His glorv 
and greatness." The sweet Saint prayed, and 
lo ! the dead Eutropius arose and said in a loud 
voice : " The idols are devils. The God of the 
Christians is the only true God, and He alone is 
to be adored ! " 

The news of this strange event passed rapidly 
over the city. The pagan priests began to fear 
that the worship of their idols was in danger, 
and stirred up the fury of the low and ignorant 
masses by proclaiming that Agnes was a sor- 
ceress, who plotted the downfall of the sa- 
cred gods. This sealed the fate of the Christian 
maiden. 

A mob gathered, crying out : " Death to the 
sorceress ! Death to the infamous and sacrile- 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 177 

gious witch who blinds the minds of men by 
her enchantments ! " 

The governor did not desire the death of St. 
Agnes, but the wild attitude of the mob fright- 
ened him ; and though he refused to meddle in 
the case, he quietly placed it in the hands of his 
deputy, Aspasius. He was a mean dodger of 
duty. He belonged to that list of cringing cow- 
ards which history hands down to us headed by 
the infamous name of Pontius Pilate. 

Agnes was brought before Aspasius, and con- 
demned to be burned alive. It is said that she 
was transported with joy on hearing the cruel sen- 
tence. She went to death " more cheerfully," says 
St. Ambrose, " than others go to their wedding." 

She was placed on the funeral pile, the fire shot 
up on every side, and soon the heroic virgin was 
encircled by flames. But God worked another 
wonder. Agnes, thus surrounded, sat untouched 
and sang the praises of her Almighty Master. 

The heathen priests, full of anger and malig- 
nity, asserted that this striking wonder was the 
result of magic. They demanded that the Saint 
should be put to death in another way ; and As- 
pasius ordered the executioner to thrust his 
sword through her neck. 

The spectators wept to see that tender and 
beautiful girl subjected to such revolting punish- 
ments ; but, with more than the fearless intre- 



1 78 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

pidity of a veteran warrior, Agnes turned to the 
pale, hesitating executioner, and said : " Do not 
hesitate. Perish this body, which is pleasing- in 
the eyes of those whom I desire not to please." 

As she raised her eyes to heaven, breath- 
ing a last prayer for the eternal safety of her 
stainless soul, the cruel sword of the executioner 
did its work, and the glorious battle was ended. 
Peerless purity was crowned by martyrdom. It 
was the famous victory of a child of thirteen, in 
304, over the tender weakness of her years, the 
power of pagan Rome, and the malice of men 
and demons. 

St. Agnes was buried with all honor by her pa- 
rents. Fondly the) 7 cherished the memory of 
their dear and beautiful daughter, often praying 
on her tomb. On the eighth night, however, after 
her martyrdom she appeared to them, shining with 
a radiance truly celestial, and said : " My dearest 
father and mother, mourn not as if I were dead, 
but rejoice with me that I am now in heaven, 
crowned with fadeless glory." 5 

" Saint Agnes, bright gem in the grand court of heaven, 
Whose jewelled gates glisten with jasper and gold, 
What words to the children of earth have been given, 
To speak of thy worth, of thy glory untold ! 

5 There are churches dedicated to divine worship under the 
name of St. Agnes in New York, Brooklyn, Baltimore, Pitts- 
burgh, Cincinnati, and many other places in the United States. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 1 79 

What pearl could compare with thy pure soul so holy ? 

What ruby's rich depths with thy heart's fervent love? 
What amethyst's glow with thy meek life so lowly ? 

What diamond with thy dazzling beauty above ? 

' Saint Agnes, sweet patroness, teach us to follow 

The footsteps of Him whom thy young heart loved best, 
That after life's night-time of tears and of sorrow 

May dawn a glad morning of peace and of rest. 
With scorn thou didst look upon earthly ambition, 

And long from its fettering links to be free ; 
It seemed in thy sight but a vain apparition — 

The real, the true One was waiting for thee ! " 6 

6 E. M. V. Bulger in the Ave Maria. 



ARCHBISHOP OF CA3SAREA AND DOCTOR OF THE 
CHURCH. .» 

DIED A.D. 379. 




JT. BiVSIL, 2 whose name shines with such 
resplendent lustre after fifteen centuries 
have passed away, was born in 329 at 
Cassarea, the capital of the kingdom of Cappa- 
docia. 3 His noble and saintly parents were St. 
Basil the Elder and St. Emmelia, who left be- 
hind them a family so illustrious in learning and 
virtue that one of them is considered the light of 
his age and is numbered with the great Doctors 
of the Church, and four have an honored place on 
the golden list of canonized saints. 

Basil's first teacher in virtue was his grand- 
mother, St. Macrina the Elder, under whose ten- 

1 Of all the holy, learned, and illustrious men produced by the 
Catholic Church, but nineteen are honored with the title of "Doc- 
tor of the Church." "There are many Doctors in the Church," 
writes Pope Benedict XIV., " but few Doctors of the Church." 

2 Basil is from the Greek, and signifies royal or kingly. 

3 Cappadocia was the largest division of Asia Minor, and was 
at one time an important kingdom. 

180 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 1 8 1 

der care he passed the early years of childhood at 
a country-house in Pontus. 4 He assures us that 
during his whole life he never forgot the impres- 
sions of piety which this venerable lady's lofty 
example made upon his infant mind. His father, 
who was a man of much learning and eloquence, 
gave the bright boy his first lessons in literature. 

The Saint's early studies were made in the 
schools of Csesarea, where his progress in piety 
and learning was the astonishment of his precep- 
tors. He was deemed equal in oratory to the best 
masters in his native country, when he removed 
to Constantinople, where Libanus, a pagan, but 
the most famous rhetorician of his time, gave 
public lectures. This professor was charmed with 
his gifted pupil. In his letters he says that he 
was in raptures as often as he heard Basil speak 
in public, and ever after he kept up an epistolary 
correspondence with the future Doctor of the 
Church. 

The love of useful knowledge next carried Ba- 
sil to Athens. Here he was delighted to meet his 
young friend and fellow-countryman, Gregory 
Nazianzen. 5 Gregory, who had arrived there a 

4 Pontus was a kingdom lying north of Cappadocia. Its shores 
were washed by the Black Sea. 

5 St. Gregory Nazianzen (from Nazianzus, his birthplace) after- 
wards became Patriarch of Constantinople. Like his friend St. 
Basil, he is honored with the extraordinary title of Doctor of the 
Church. He died in 389. 



1 82 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

little before, had influence enough to procure his 
friend a welcome reception, and the reputation 
and dignified manners of Basil happily protected 
him from the rough treatment which new-comers 
generally received at the hands of the students. 

Harmony of inclinations, an equal enthusiasm 
for virtue and learning, and a mutual esteem for 
each other's worth formed between Basil and 
Gregory a friendship as lasting as it was beauti- 
ful. To these pure young minds this holy affec- 
tion was a shield from bad company and a great 
consolation. Everything was in common. They 
had the same lodging and the same table. To- 
gether they cheerfully toiled up the hill of know- 
ledge, and seemed to have but one heart and one 
soul. 

" We knew but two streets," writes Gregory, 
" and chiefly the first of these, which led us to 
the church, and to the saintly teachers and doc- 
tors who there attended the service of the altar 
and with t'ne food of life nourished the flock of 
Christ. The other street with which we were 
acquainted — but which we held in much less es- 
teem — was the road to the schools and to our 
masters in the sciences. To others we left the 
streets that led to the theatre, spectacles, feast- 
ings, and diversions. It was our only great affair, 
our only aim, and all our glory to be called and to 
live Christians." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 183 

St. Basil became a master in the liberal arts and 
sciences. He excelled in philosophy and litera- 
ture. It is said that his knowledge of nature was 
more accurate and comprehensive than that of 
Aristotle himself. St. Gregory tells us that his 
power of reasoning was most remarkable. But 
he wisely seasoned all his vast acquirements by 
meditation on the Holy Scriptures, and by care- 
fully reading the precious works of the Fathers. 
Thus he stored his capacious mind with the riches 
of knowledge ad majorem Dei gloriam — " to the 
greater glory of God." 

In the year 355, Basil returned to his native 
city and opened a school of oratory. He was 
also induced to plead at the bar. The most bril- 
liant success smiled on his undertakings ; and 
soon the young nobleman found himself on the 
foremost wave of fame and popularity. On all 
sides he was greeted with applause. It was, how- 
ever, a time of danger. Nor is it wonderful to 
learn that Basil's heart was assailed by tempta- 
tions to vainglory and a secret satisfaction in 
the empty praises of men. 

He felt there was some peril, and the timely 
words of his sister, St. Macrina, and his friend, 
Gregory Nazianzen, added to his thoughtfulness. 
Basil's was a brave, manly, cultivated nature, ever 
open to the influence of the good and the beautiful. 
Besides, he was faithful to the inspirations of 



184 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

grace. The light of celestial wisdom flashed its 
brightness on his soul, and he triumphed over the 
obstacles that seemed to crowd that narrow path 
which leads to the skies, and with heroic great- 
ness he bade adieu to the fleeting joys and glories 
of a worldly career. He gave nearly all his es- 
tate to the poor, and became a monk. 

Convinced, however, that the name of monk 
would only be his condemnation if he did not 
strictly fulfil the obligations of the religious state, 
he travelled over Syria, Mesopotamia, and Egypt 
in 357, visiting the most renowned hermits and 
monasteries in those countries, and thus carefully 
instructing himself in the duties and exercises of 
a monastic life. 

During the following year he returned to the 
house of his grandmother on the banks of the 
river Iris. Here his mother, St. Emmelia, and 
his sister, St. Macrina, had founded a nunnery, 
which at that time was governed by the latter 
lady. On the opposite side of the river Basil 
established a monastery for men, which he ruled 
five years, resigning the position of abbot in 362 
to his brother, St. Peter of Sebaste. 6 

He founded several other religious houses in 
different parts of Pontus, which he continued to 
superintend even after he became archbishop. 

6 Another of St. Basil's brothers was the celebrated Father of 
the Church, St. Gregory of Nyssa. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 185 

It was for their direction he drew up his " Longer 
and Shorter Rules." 7 

As to Basil himself, his retired life was a mo- 
del of virtue and rigorous mortification. He 
never had more than one coat. He lay on the 
ground, and sometimes passed whole nights in 
watching. At night he wore a long hair-shirt, 
but not in the day-time, that it might be unseen 
by men. He inured himself to the sharp cold of 
the mountains of Pontus, and never allowed him- 
self to enjoy any other heat than that of the 
sun. His one meal a day consisted of bread and 
cold water. But he chiefly studied to practise 
the interior virtues of purity, meekness, and 
humility. 

Libanus, the pagan philosopher, admired no- 
thing in the Saint so much as his unvarying 
sweetness towards all ; but he tempered this rare 
and beautiful virtue with an amiable gravity. He 
was a great lover of chastity, and built several 
convents for young virgins, to whom he gave a 
written rule. 

During a wide-spread famine in 359 he sold the 
remainder of his estate for the benefit of the poor, 
and his friend, St. Gregory Nazianzen, tells us 



7 The Rule of St. Basil is universally followed to this day by all 
the Oriental monks, even by those who call themselves the Order 
of St. Anthony. — Butler. 



1 86 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

that ever after he lived in the greatest poverty 
possible. 

When Julian the Apostate ascended the impe- 
rial throne in 361, he wrote to St. Basil — whom 
he had known at Athens — and invited him to his 
court. The man of God answered that the state 
of life upon which he had entered rendered it 
impossible to comply with the emperor's request. 
This aroused the anger of Julian, and, some time 
after, he wrote to the Saint, ordering him to pay 
five thousand dollars in gold into his exchequer. 
In case of refusal he even threatened to level the 
city of Caesarea with the ground. 

St. Basil calmly replied that far from being able 
to raise so large a sum of money, he had scarcely 
enough to purchase subsistence for one day. He 
boldly added in his letter that he was surprised 
to see Julian neglect the exalted duties of his 
position, and provoke the just anger of the 
Almighty by openly opposing His worship. 
The emperor was enraged at this pointed re- 
buke, and he marked out Basil as a victim for 
severe punishment as soon as he should return 
from his Persian expedition. But the hand of 
God was already raised against the profane ty- 
rant. He perished in the summer of 363. 

It was with great reluctance that some time 
after this St. Basil permitted himself to be or- 
dained priest by Eusebius, Archbishop of Cassa- 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 187 

rea ; and when that prelate died, in 370, our Saint 
was chosen and consecrated archbishop. Placed 
in that high dignity he seemed to surpass himself 
as much as he had before surpassed others. Even 
on working days he preached to the people both 
morning and evening ; and such was the touching 
beauty of his discourses that multitudes eagerly 
thronged to hear his burning words. He es- 
tablished many pious practices. We learn from 
his letters that the good people of Cassarea re- 
ceived Holy Communion every Sunday, Wed- 
nesday, Friday, and Saturday. 

He was the guardian of the poor and the un- 
fortunate. Besides other countless charities, he 
founded a vast hospital, which Gregory Nazianzen 
calls a new city, and one of " the wonders of the 
world." It continued long after his time, and was 
called from him Basiliades. The illustrious Saint 
often passed through its wards, comforting the 
patients, instructing them, and ministering to 
their spiritual miseries. 

St. Basil was a fortress of the faith, and such 
was his fame, the power of his learning, and the 
holiness of his life, that his name awed even the 
imperial heretics of his time. Of this we have a 
glorious proof in the remarkable triumph which 
he gained over the Arian emperor, Valens. 

With his hands reeking in the martyr blood of 
Catholics, Valens passed rapidly through the pro- 



1 88 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

vinces of Asia Minor. On his arrival in Cappa- 
docia he stood ready to dart the thunder of his 
power on the great Archbishop of Csesarea. He 
took the precaution, however, of sending before 
him the prefect, Modestus, with orders to induce 
Basil, either by threats or promises, to communi- 
cate with the Arians. 

Modestus summoned the archbishop to appear 
before him. The Saint came. The prefect, seat- 
ed on his tribunal, gave him a courteous recep- 
tion. He tried smooth words and great promises, 
but all to no purpose. Seeing, however, the fail- 
ure of this method, the hypocritical Modestus 
assumed an insolent air. 

" Basil," he exclaimed, in an angry tone, " what 
do you mean by opposing a great emperor that 
all obey ? Fear you not the effects of the power 
with which we are armed ? " 

" To what does this power extend? " said the 
Saint. 

" To the confiscation of goods, banishment, 
tortures, and even death," returned the prefect. 

" Perhaps you can threaten me with some 
greater punishment," observed Basil. " None 
of all these things give me the least uneasiness." 

11 How so ? " demanded Modestus. 

" He that has nothing to lose," said the noble 
archbishop, " is secure against confiscation. I 
am master of nothing but a few books and the 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 189 

rags I wear — for neither of which, I presume, 
you have any pressing necessity. As to banish- 
ment, I do not see what you could do. Hea- 
ven alone is my country. I as little fear your 
torments. The first stroke would despatch my 
frail body, and thus put an end both to life and 
pain. Death I dread not ; I regard it as a favor. 
It would bring me sooner to that Almighty 
Father for whom alone I live." 

" Never did any man," exclaimed the astonish- 
ed prefect, " talk at this rate of freedom to Mo- 
destus." 

" Perhaps," said Basil, " this is the first time 
you have had to do with- a bishop." 

" I give you till to-morrow," shouted the an- 
noyed Modestus, " to deliberate upon the mat- 
ter." 

" I shall be the same man to-morrow," quietly 
observed the Saint, " that I am to-day." 

Valens was enraged at the prefect's want of 
success, and cited the archbishop to appear be- 
fore himself. But he the better understood his 
own littleness after coming in contact with Basil's 
majestic virtue and dauntless character. The 
prefect ventured upon a third attack ; but it 
only added to the Saint's greater glory. " We 
are overcome," said Modestus to the emperor. 
" This man is above our threats." 

Valens, however, daily importuned by the Ari- 



190 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

ans, resolved to banish the intrepid archbishop. 
The order was drawn up and only remained to be 
signed. He seized one of those reeds which the 
ancients used as a pen, and was about to put his sig- 
nature to the document, when lo ! the reed broke. 
The second and third reed broke in like manner ; 
and as he was taking up a fourth, he found his 
hand tremble and the tendons of his arm began to 
slacken. In a fright he tore up the paper, and 
Basil remained unmolested. 

The Saint had, indeed, fought the good fight ;* 
but not many years rolled away when he fell sick. 
He knew the happy end had come. For him death 
had no terrors. " Into Thy hands, O Lord ! I 
commend my spirit," were the last words whis- 
pered by the eloquent lips of this illustrious Doc- 
tor of the Church. He died at the age of fifty- 
one years, on the 1st of January, a.d. 379. 

The writings of St. Basil are of the very high- 
est order. 8 " When I read his treatise ' On the 
Creation,' " says the great Doctor, St. Gregory Na- 
zianzen, " I seem to behold my Creator striking 
all things out of nothing. When I run over his 
writings against the heretics, the fire of Sodom 

fc St. Basil wrote in Greek. His genius brightened everything 
touched by his pen. Many good critics have not hesitated to call 
him the most accomplished orator that ever lived, and his style 
the best model of genuine eloquence. He was, indeed, a great 
m ister of eloquence. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 191 

sparkles in my view, flashing upon the enemies 
of the faith and consuming their criminal tongues 
to ashes. When 1 consider his work ' On the 
Holy Ghost,' I feel God working within me, and 
I am no longer afraid of publishing the truth 
aloud. When I look into the ' Explanations of 
the Holy Scripture,' I dive into the most pro- 
found abyss of mysteries. His panegyrics on the 
martyrs make me despise my body, and I seem 
to be animated with the same noble ardor of 
battle. His moral discourses assist me to purify 
my body and soul, that I may become a worthy 
temple of God, and an instrument of His praises 
to make known His glory and His power." 9 

9 There is a church at Toronto, Canada, bearing the name of 
St. Basil. The Fathers of St. Basil conduct St. Michael's Col- 
lege, Toronto, and Assumption College, Sandwich, Canada. 



jSimti Hxrmat, 



MOTHER OF THE GREAT SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
DIED A.D. 387. 




IONICA, whose name is one of the glories 
of the Church in the fourth century, was 
born in Numidia 1 in the year 332. She 
belonged to a good Catholic family. From her 
early life we may learn the power of habit, and 
the golden value of prudence and temperance. 
The promising girl by degrees contracted a lik- 
ing for wine, as she took a sip now and then when 
sent to the cellar by her mother to draw some for 
the use of the family. 

Though this sipping became habitual, it never 
grew excessive. It is not hard to see, however, 
where it might have terminated had not God 
mercifully checked Monica. A servant-maid was 
His instrument. One day a curious glance into 
the cellar revealed her young mistress in the act 

1 A country in the north of Africa bordering on the shores of 
the Mediterranean. It embraced what is now the eastern por- 
tion of Algeria. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 193 

of drinking. It was not forgotten ; and some 
time after, on words arising between them, the 
servant taunted Monica by calling her a " wine- 
bibber." This pointed rebuke acted like the 
lancet in a happy surgical operation. The fu- 
ture Saint reflected, prayed, and was cured for 
ever. 

Not long after this moral change Monica re- 
ceived baptism, 8 and henceforth her life was that 
of a true Christian. On reaching the age of wo- 
manhood her parents gave her in marriage to a 
citizen of Tagaste named Patricias, a man of 
honor, but, unhappily, a heathen. Here was a 
new field of labor. Monica served her husband 
with matchless amiability, and toiled to gain him 
to God. But it was, in truth, a tedious and most 
difficult undertaking. 

As a pagan, Patricius was the slave of vices 
both nameless and countless. Monica's chief 
argument to reclaim him was the sanctity of her 
own conduct, backed by those kind, affectionate 
manners which could not fail to inspire his love, 
respect, and esteem. She bore all his sallies of 
passion with angelic patience. He was a man of 
hasty and violent temper, but his prudent wife 

2 The custom of deferring Baptism was common, it seems, in 
the early ages of the Church. It was done lest the grace of that 
holy sacrament should afterwards be stained. See note under the 
life of St. Augustine. 



194 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

never annoyed him by the least word or action 
while she saw him in anger. When, however, 
the fit was over and Patricius was calm and sensi- 
ble, she gave him her reasons in a way that was 
both gentle and impressive. 

When Monica saw other women bearing only 
too visible marks of the anger of their husbands, 
and heard them bitterly blaming their rough tem- 
pers and vicious lives, she would simply reply : 
" Rather lay the blame on yourselves and your 
tongues." It was a truth well said, and her own 
example was a convincing proof. In spite of the 
unhappy fact that Patricius was a man who often 
foolishly flew into a towering passion, yet he 
never forgot the sacred respect due to his wife's 
person. The storm lasted but a moment. And 
thus Monica, hy silence and kindly tact, always 
had her home lighted up with the blessed sun- 
shine of peace. 

This illustrious lady had also the happy gift of 
making peace among quarrelling neighbors — 
often a very thankless task. On such occasions 
she spoke with a force, prudence, and tender 
charity that was truly wonderful. 

It was her great delight to serve the poor. 
She assisted daily at Mass, and studied to imitate 
the actions of the Saints. But she never allowed 
any exercise of piety to stand in the way of the 
most careful attention in watching over the edu- 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 195 

cation of her children, 3 in which, however, Al- 
mighty God gave her numberless occasions of 
merit and suffering — particularly in Augustine — 
that He might in the end more amply crown her 
holy toil. 

Augustine was born in 354. As he grew up, 
Monica was unceasing in her cares to plant the 
seed of virtue in his young soul. Still, she was, 
perhaps, immoderately fond to see him excel in 
learning, but she flattered herself that he might 
one day make a good use of it in promoting the 
honor and glory of God. Her husband desired 
the same thing, but merely that his son might one 
day raise himself in the world. 

One of the happy fruits of Monica's patience 
and prayers was the conversion of Patricius. 
Henceforth he became pure in his life and faithful 
to the duties of a good Christian. He died in 
371 — a year after his baptism. 

Augustine, who was then seventeen years of 
age, was pursuing his studies at Carthage, where, 
unhappily, he was led astray by the Manichees 
and joined those vain heretics. His mother was 
informed of the misfortune, and her grief was in- 
expressible. Augustine had lost the precious 
treasure of faith, and to Monica the news was 
more heartrending than if he were laid in the 
silent tomb. So deep was her indignation that 
8 Two sons and one daughter. 



196 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

she would neither suffer him to eat at her table, 
nor even to live under the same roof with her. 

11 Thou hast heard her vows," exclaims St. Au- 
gustine in after- years, addressing himself to God, 
" and Thou hast not despised her tears ; for she 
shed torrents in Thy presence — in all places where 
she offered her prayers to Thee." 

Nor were the prayers of the saintly woman 
unheard. An angel appeared to her in a dream 
and told her to wipe away her tears, adding: 
" Your son is with you." She was comforted. 
She told this dream to Augustine, but he ven- 
tured to infer that she would come over to his 
sentiments in matters of religion. " No," she 
said with energy, " it was not told me that I was 
with you, but that you were with me." Such a 
pointed answer made a great impression on Augus- 
tine, as he afterwards acknowledged. This hap- 
pened in the year 377, and Monica again permit- 
ted her son to eat and live in her own dwelling. 

Almost nine years, however, passed away be- 
fore Augustine's conversion ; and during all this 
time Monica appealed to Heaven with sighs and 
tears and prayers. Once she engaged a learned 
prelate to speak to him. " The heart of the 
youth," said he, " is yet too indocile; but God's 
time will come." On another occasion she urged 
him with renewed earnestness. " Go," answered 
the good old bishop, " continue to do as you do. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 197 

It is impossible that a child of such tears should 
perish." Monica went home, bearing these words 
in her mind as a message from heaven. 

When Augustine was twenty-nine years of age, 
he resolved on going to Rome to teach rhetoric. 
His mother opposed such a design, fearing it 
might delay his conversion. She even followed 
him to the sea-side, determined either to bring 
him back or to accompany him to Italy. He 
pretended, however, that he had no intention 
of going ; but one night, while his mother was 
praying in a chapel, he secretly boarded a vessel 
bound for Europe. 

V I deceived her with a lie," writes St. Augus- 
tine, " while she was weeping and praying for 
me; and what did she ask of Thee, my God, but 
that Thou wouldst not suffer me to sail away ? 
But Thou graciously heard her main desire — that 
I might be engaged in Thy service — and refused 
to grant what she asked then, in order to give 
what she always asked ! " 

Next morning, on finding that her son had 
sailed, Monica's grief was boundless. " God," 
says Butler, " by this extreme affliction would 
punish her too human tenderness ; and His wis- 
dom suffered her son to be carried by his passions 
to a place where He had decreed to heal them." 

This devoted mother followed her gifted but 
erring son, and found him at Milan, the city of the 



198 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

great St. Ambrose, where she learned from his 
own lips that he was no longer a heretic. She 
now redoubled her tears and prayers for Augus- 
tine's thorough conversion, which she had the 
joy to witness in the summer of 386. He was 
baptized at the following Easter, with several of 
his friends. 

" My son," said the illustrious Monica, " there 
is now nothing in this life that affords me any de- 
light. What have I to do here any longer, or 
why I am here, I know not. All my hopes in this 
world are at an end. The only thing for which I 
desired to live was that I might see you a Catho- 
lic and a child of Heaven. God has done much 
more. I see you now despising all earthly felicity 
and entirely devoting yourself to His service. 
Then, what further business have I here?" 

Soon after the Saint and her converted son set 
out for Africa ; but on the road the great woman 
was seized with a fever. A friend asked her if 
she was not afraid of being buried so far away 
from her own country. "Nothing is far from 
God," she replied. " Nor need I fear that He 
will not find my body to raise it with the rest." 

On reaching the port of Ostia, 4 where they were 
to embark, she said to her two sons : " You will 
bury your mother here." Augustine was silent ; 

4 Ostia, at the mouth of the Tiber, was the port of Rome. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 199 

but Navigus expressed a wish that she might not 
die in a foreign land. 

" Lay this body anywhere," she said. " Be not 
concerned about that. The only thing I ask of 
you both is — remember me at the altar of God 
wheresoever you are." 

She grew weaker, and soon the beautiful spirit 
winged its flight to that happy abode where tears 
and sorrow and suffering are unknown. St. 
Augustine, who was then thirt}^-three years of 
age, closed her eyes — those loving eyes which 
were so often raised to heaven, so often drowned 
in the floods of bitter tears that gushed forth 
for his conversion. And thus died the dear St. 
Monica, model of all good mothers, at the age of 
fifty-six, in the year 387/ 

6 There is a church bearing the name of St. Monica in New 
York City, and one at Jamaica, Long Island. 



jlmttl %mtw f 



PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH. 
DIED A.D. 42O. 




T. JEROME, one of the very greatest 
lights in the history of learning and 
Christian literature, was born in the year 
329, at Stridonium, 1 in Pannonia. 2 His good Ca~ 
tholic parents gave him an excellent education 
— that gift more precious than gold or lands. 

" Next to the blessing of Redemption," says the 
celebrated Dr. Doyle, 3 " and the graces conse- 
quent upon it, there is no gift bestowed by God 
equal in value to a good education. Other ad- 
vantages are enjoyed by the body ; this belongs 
entirely to the spirit Whatever is great or good 

1 Now Sdrigni, a small town. 

2 Pannonia comprised that part of Hungary which lies west of 
the Danube, with portions of the provinces of Lower Austria, 
Styria, Croatia, and Sclavonia. — Mitchell, Classical Geography. 

The birthplace of St. Jerome was, it seems, near the northeast- 
ern borders of Italy. 

3 Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Ireland. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 201 

or glorious in the works of men is the fruit of edu- 
cated minds. Religion herself loses half her 
beauty and influence when not attended or assist- 
ed by education ; and her power, splendor, and 
majesty are never so exalted as when cultivated 
genius and refined taste become her heralds or 
her handmaids." 

Jerome studied under the first professors at 
Rome, and became master of the Latin and Greek 
languages. It was the delight of his soul to col- 
lect a good library, and to spend his days and 
nights with the best authors. He was so carried 
away by the love of his book-friends that some- 
times he even forgot to eat or drink. Cicero and 
Plautus were his favorites. He not only purchas- 
ed many works, but copied several with his own 
hand, and had others transcribed by his friends. 4 

Unhappily, however, there was one drawback. 
Under pagan teachers and the heathen influences 
of Rome, Jerome nearly forgot the piety of his 
boyhood, and became full of refined vanity and 
worldly sentiments. He had acquired knowledge 
at the expense of virtue. 

On arriving at manhood the ardent student re- 
solved to travel with the view of improving his 
education. One of his points of attraction was 

4 It is to be remembered that this was centuries before the art 
of printing was invented, and that books were then rare, ex- 
tremely valuable, and very difficult to multiply. 



202 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Treves, 6 then famous for its schools. It was there 
that his early piety was revived and his heart en- 
tirely converted to God. Henceforward he re- 
solved to devote himself wholly to the service of 
heaven and to a life of chastity. He also began 
the study of the sacred sciences, and carefully 
collected everything- that might add to his lite- 
rary treasures. After visiting various other cities, 
and contracting friendships with many pious and 
learned men, he returned to Rome, resolved to 
give himself with his whole soul to study and re- 
tirement. 

But complete solitude could only be found in 
some distant country ; and our Saint set out for 
the East, accompanied by a priest of Antioch, 
who acted as guide. The travellers passed 
through Asia Minor, visiting the hermits and 
other persons famous for sanctity. Jerome push- 
ed on to Antioch, stayed awhile in that city, and 
then retired to a hideous desert between Syria 
and Arabia. He received a warm welcome, how- 
ever, in that wild, lonely region from the holy 
Abbot Theodosius. 

It was in such an abode of desolation that Je- 
rome, wasted by sickness, was fiercely assailed by 
nameless temptations. Truly, this was a hard 
battle, carried on as it was in " the company of 
scorpions and wild beasts." 

5 Treves, or Trier, is on the Moselle, in Germany. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 203 

" I loved solitude," he exclaims, " that in the 
bitterness of my soul I might more freely bewail 
my miseries and call upon my Saviour. My hide- 
ous, emaciated limbs were covered with sackcloth. 
My skin was parched, dry, and black, and my 
flesh was almost wasted away. 

" The days passed in tears and groans, and 
when, against my will, sleep overpowered me, I 
cast my weary bones — which barely hung to- 
gether — upon the hard ground, not so much to 
give them rest as to torture myself. Of eating 
and drinking I say nothing. The monks in that 
desert, even when they are sick, know no other 
drink than cold water, and look upon it as sensu- 
ality ever to taste anything touched by fire." 

Yet, in this dreary den of penitential solitude, 
Jerome had to battle long and manfully with 
temptations against the virtue of purity. 

" Finding myself," continues the Saint, " aban- 
doned, as it were, to the power of this enemy, I 
threw myself in spirit at the feet of Jesus, water- 
ing them with my tears, and I tamed my flesh by 
fasting whole weeks. I am not ashamed to dis- 
close my temptations ; but I grieve that I am not 
now what I then was. 

" I often joined whole nights to the days — weep- 
ing, sighing, and beating my breast till the desir- 
ed calm returned. 1 feared the very cell in which 
I lived, because it was a witness to the foul sug- 



204 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

gestions of my enemy ; and being angry and arm- 
ed with severity against myself, I went alone into 
the most secret parts of the wilderness, and if I 
discovered a deep valley or a craggy rock any- 
where, that was the place of my prayer — there I 
threw this miserable sack of my body. The same 
Lord is my witness that after so many sobs and 
tears, after having in much sorrow long looked 
up to heaven, 1 felt most delightful and interior 
sweetness." 

It was during this period of severe trial that 
he began the study of Hebrew. 6 " That I might 
subdue my flesh," writes the great Doctor, " I 
became a scholar to a monk who had been a Jew, 
to learn of him the Hebrew alphabet; and after 
I had most diligently studied the judicious rules 
of Quintilian, the flowing eloquence of Cicero, 
the grave style of Fronto, and the smoothness of 
Pliny, I inured myself to hissing and broken- 
winded words. 

" What labor it cost me, what difficulties I went 
through, how often I despaired and left off, and 
how I began again to learn, both I myself who 
felt the burden can witness, and they also who 

6 Hebrew was carefully cultivated in the Jewish academy or 
great school of Tiberias (in Palestine), out of which St. Jerome 
had a master. It has long since become very imperfect, reduced 
to a small number of radical words, and only to be learned from 
the Hebrew Bible — the only ancient book in the world extant in 
that language. — Butler. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 205 

lived with me. But I thank our Lord that I now 
gather sweet fruit from the bitter seed of those 
studies." 

Jerome, however, had still a passion for the Lat- 
in classics, especially the writings of Cicero. He 
relates that on one occasion, while prostrated by 
a burning fever, he fell into a trance or dream, in 
which he seemed to be summoned before the 
awful tribunal of Christ. He was asked his pro- 
fession. " I am a Christian," answered Jerome. 

" It. is a lie," said the Judge. " You are a 
Ciceronian. The works of that author possess 
your heart." And the Saint was condemned to 
be scourged by angels. The remembrance of that 
dream — for dream it was— made a vivid impres- 
sion on his imagination. He looked upon it as a 
divine admonition. " From that time," he says, 
" I gave myself to the reading of divine things 
with greater diligence and attention than I had 
ever read other authors." 

As an unhappy schism divided the church of An- 
tioch, St. Jerome wrote to Pope Damasus, about 
the year 376, asking for advice in relation to the 
delicate state of affairs. " I am joined in commun- 
ion with your Holiness," he writes, " that is, with 
the Chair of Peter. I know the Church is built 
upon that rock. Whoever eats the lamb out of 
that house is a profane person. Whoever is not 
in the ark shall perish in the flood. . . . Who- 



206 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

ever gathers not with you, scatters. He who is 
not Christ's belongs to Antichrist." 

The Pope's reply is not extant. 

In 377 St. Jerome, at the age of forty-eight, 
was raised to the sacred dignity of the priesthood 
by Paulinus, Patriarch of Antioch. He consent- 
ed to this promotion, however, only on the ex- 
press condition that he would not be obliged to 
serve any church in the office of his ministry. 

Soon after this he passed into Palestine, per- 
fected himself in the Hebrew language, and visit- 
ed and carefully examined all the places made 
sacred by the presence of Jesus Christ. 

We find our admirable Saint, always a student, 
at Constantinople, about the year 380, making a 
profound study of Holy Scripture under St. Gre- 
gory Nazianzen. He considered it a great honor 
and happiness to have this celebrated doctor for 
his master. 

On visiting Rome in 381, Jerome was detained 
by Pope Damasus as his secretary. But the 
light of his life could not be hidden. He was 
soon loved and esteemed by ail. Priests, monks, 
and nobles sought his instruction and asked his 
guidance in the way of Christian virtue. He had 
likewise the charge of many devout ladies whose 
names have since adorned the calendar of the 
saints. 7 
7 The most illustrious of the Roman ladies whom St. Jerome 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 207 

St. Jerome wrote his work " On the Perpetual 
Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary" in the year 
383. It was composed in answer to the blasphe- 
mies of a malignant heretic named Helvidius, a man 
of coarse and brutal instincts. The holy Doctor 
placed his iron grip on this vile assailant of the 
Immaculate Mother, in order, as he says, " to 

instructed was St. Paula, who persuaded him to accept a lodging 
in her hospitable home during his stay at Rome, that she and her 
family might the more easily have recourse to him as their spirit- 
ual guide. This St. Paula was a lady of culture and extensive 
learning — one who did not forget that lofty sentiments and noble 
aspirations are incompatible with mental poverty She was a 
model for the earnest women of our age and country. 

" Amongst other lessons," says the great Bishop Dupanloup, 
" to be derived from the biography of St. Paula, we may learn the 
immense advantage accruing to spiritual life from mental culture, 
and the need in which women stand, both on account of their ex- 
alted mission and of the immense influence it is given them to exer- 
cise on human character, of vigorous training and well-grounded 
instruction, if they are to be equal to their important duties and to 
escape that frivolity by which so many lives are wasted. To be 
for man the helpmate and stay which God has meant her to be ; 
to form the mind, heart, conscience, and character of her chil- 
dren ; to be the guiding, regulating spirit, the active centre of a 
Christian home, is a task far beyond the capacity of an ignorant, 
narrow, frivolous, and superficial mind — a task requiring habits 
of vigorous, self-denying virtue. But it were vain to look for 
such unless the soul be prepared by a serious training and real 
instruction. This is the only solid groundwork of a serious life, 
without which there is no promise of stability, and all we may 
look for is to behold the choicest endowments of mind and cha- 
racter stunted by a wretched mediocrity of aims and of practice." 
— Studious Women. 



208 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

teach one who had never learned to speak the art 
and wisdom of silence." 

We need not say how well the task was accom- 
plished. St. Jerome never did anything by halves, 
and his pen was like a mighty battle-axe that clove 
the toughest and most obstinate skulls. " Having 
thus worsted you in argument," he says in taking 
leave of the foul Helvidius, " I know full well that 
you will seek to decry my life and to soil my cha- 
racter ; but I glory therein beforehand, since such 
abuse will proceed from lips that have blasphemed 
Mary, and I, a servant of the Lord, will, even as 
His Mother, be the butt of your brawling in- 
solence." 

After the death of Pope Damasus our illustrious 
Doctor retired to Palestine and journeyed through 
Egypt to improve himself still more in the sacred 
sciences. On returning to the Holy Land he 
made his abode at Bethlehem. Here the noble 
lady, St. Paula, followed him from Rome, built 
him a monastery, and placed under his wise di- 
rection a convent of nuns which she founded and 
governed. 

It was at this period that St. Jerome, living on 
the spot where Christ came into our sin-dimmed 
world, and where the angels sang " Gloria in Ex- 
celsis Deo" began those vast critical labors on the 
Holy Scriptures which have rendered his name so 
celebrated. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 209 

" For this," says Butler, " the Church acknow- 
ledges him to have been raised by God through 
a special providence and particularly assisted from 
above ; and she styles him the greatest of all her 
doctors in expounding the Divine Oracles. Pope 
Clement VIII. scruples not to call him a man, in 
translating the Holy Scriptures, divinely assist- 
ed and inspired." 8 

6 Latin was the language of the Roman Empire, and a Latin 
translation of the Bible was made in the time of the Apostles, 
and approved, it seems, by St. Peter himself. But in the fourth 
century great variations had crept into many copies of the Sacred 
Book. To remedy this evil, and to correct the faults of bold or 
careless copiers, Pope Damasus commissioned St. Jerome to 
revise and correct the Latin version of the Gospels by the origi- 
nal Greek. He did his work to the great satisfaction of the whole 
Church, and some time after he translated the remainder of the 
New Testament. "His new translation," says Butkr, " of the 
books of the Old Testament, written in Hebrew, made from the 
original text, was a more noble and more difficult undertaking." 
This version of St. Jerome was approved by Pope St. Gregory the 
Great, and since the seventh century it has been used by the Ca- 
tholic Church under the name of the Vulgate — from the Latin vu '- 
gatus — that is, for general or common use. In 1546 the General 
Council of Trent placed its seal of unerring approval on the 
Latin Vulgate. Our Douay Version was made directly from the 
Vulgate. The late General Council of the Vatican, presided over 
by the immortal Pius IX., passed the following important decrees : 

" If any one shall not receive as sacred and canonical the 
Books of Sacred Scripture, entire with all their parts, as the Holy 
Council of Trent has enumerated them, or shall deny that'they 
have been divinely inspired, let him be anathema." — Canon IV., 
on Revelation. 

"These Books of the Old and New Testament are to be re- 



210 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

He defended the faith against the vain Pela- 
gius with his usual vigor and success. " I never 
spared heretics," he writes, " and have done my 
utmost endeavors that the enemies of the Church 
should be my enemies." Nor did the Pelagians 
ever forgive St. Jerome. Their blind and head- 
strong leader became so infuriated that he excit- 
ed his followers to a high pitch against the holy 
Doctor. A troop of these ruffians plundered 
and burned his monastery ; and the Saint only 
escaped their fury by a timely flight. 

After this storm blew over, the great old Doctor 
— veteran soldier of Jesus Christ — still continued 
his precious labors. He toiled on to the last, 
a lover of God and truth and books. Some re- 
markable sayings are attributed to him. " Whe- 
ther I eat or drink," he observed, " or whatever 
else I do, the dreadful trumpet of the last day 
seems always sounding in my ears : Arise, ye dead, 
and come to judgment ! " 

ceived as sacred and canonical, in their integrity, with all their 
parts, as they are enumerated in the decree of the said council 
(Trent), and are contained in the ancient Latin edition of the Vul- 
gate. These the Church holds to be sacred and canonical, not 
because, having been carefully composed by mere human indus- 
try, they were afterwards approved by her authority, nor merely 
because they contain revelation with no admixture of error, but 
because, having been written by the inspiration of the Holy 
Ghost, they have G^d for their Author, and have been delivered 
as such to the Church herself." — Decrees and Canons of the Vati- 
can Council. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 211 

His boldness and manly vigor in defending the 
sacred cause of truth did not fail to make many 
bitter enemies. " You are deceived," he would 
say, " if you think that a Christian can live with- 
out persecution. He suffers the greatest who 
lives under none. Nothing is more to be feared 
than too long a peace. A storm puts a man upon 
his guard, and obliges him to exert his utmost 
efforts to escape shipwreck." 

On his deathbed he said to his dear disciples, 
who had mournfully gathered around : " My chil- 
dren, I am at the point of death ; and I declare to 
you that it is my firm, unwavering conviction — a 
conviction strengthened by a long experience of 
over fifty years — that out of a hundred thousand 
persons who continue in sin till the hour of death 
scarcely one is saved." 

Having manfully subdued himself, and tri- 
umphed over vice, heresy, and ignorance, the 
illustrious St. Jerome, who had used all his splen- 
did genius in promoting the glory of God, passed 
from toil to reward at the ripe age of ninety-one, 
on the 30th of September, 420. 9 

9 There are Catholic churches in the diocese of Springfield and 
several other places in this republic called after St. Jerome; and 
a college at Berlin, Ontario, Canada, bears the name of the re- 
nowned Doctor. 



jSi Jfogttstitfy 



BISHOP OF HIPPO AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH. 
DIED A.D. 43O. 




[T. AUGUSTINE, 1 the model of peni- 
tents, the Doctor of Doctors, and the 
most illustrious champion of the faith, 
was born at Tagaste, 2 a small town of Numidia, 8 
Africa, on the 13th of November, 354. His pa- 
rents, Patricius and Monica, were in good cir- 
cumstances. His father was a pagan, but his 
mother was a saint ; and, as we shall soon see, it 
is a precious blessing to have a saintly mother. 4 

1 Augustine is from the Latin, and signifies belonging to Augus- 
tus. It is sometimes contracted into Austin. 

2 Tagaste was in the interior, at some distance from the sea, 
" which," says Butler, " the Saint had never seen till he was 
grown up." — Lives of the Saints, vol. viii. 

3 Numidia was a nation in the north of Africa, its shores being 
washed by the Mediterranean Sea. Under the Carthaginians and 
Romans it was a fertile 'and, distinguished for wealth, prosperity, 
and population. St. Augustine is, doubtless, its most illustrious 
son. Numidia occupied what is now the eastern portion of Al- 
geria. 

4 See the life of St. Monica. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 213 

Monica was unceasing in her cares to plant the 
golden seed of virtue in the tender soul of her 
boy. She taught him to pray. She pointed out 
to him the glory and beauty of the Catholic reli- 
gion. He was made a catechumen. 5 Once while 
Augustine was going to school in his native town 
he fell dangerously ill, and asked to be baptized, 
and his mother got everything ready for the cere- 
mony ; but he suddenly grew better, and it was 
deferred. This was done lest he should after- 
wards stain the grace of that holy sacrament. 6 

The worldly Patricius was not slow in per- 
ceiving the budding genius of Augustine, and 
he spared nothing to make him a scholar. Mo- 
nica eagerly backed the good work, and every 
effort was made to press him forward on the road 
of knowledge. When a little one he greatly 
dreaded correction, as he tells us in his " Confes- 
sions,'' and often did he pray to Heaven with child- 
ish earnestness that he might escape punishment 

5 A catechumen was made by being marked with the sign of the 
cross and by blessed salt being put in his mouth. — Butler. 

c This custom of deferring Baptism, for fear of sinning under 
the weight and obligations of that sacrament, St. Augustine most 
justly condemns ; but then the want of a sense of the sanctitj' of 
that sacrament, and the frequent perfidiousness and sacrileges of 
Christians in defiling it by relapsing into sin, is an abuse which, 
in these latter ages, calls for our tears and for all our zeal. The 
Church has long since forbidden the Baptism of infants ever to 
be deferred. — Butler, 



214 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

at school, deeming it the most gigantic of evils. 
The Saint complains, and justly too, of those 
hard, austere teachers who cloud the bright days 
of boyhood by multiplying that labor and sor- 
row through which all the children of Adam are 
obliged to pass. 7 

Augustine was a most gifted student. He read 
the Latin poets with delight, and was noted for 
his lively wit. But in after-years he deplored 
that pernicious spirit in the schools which made 
scholars more afraid of an offence against the rules 
of grammar than a violation of the commandments 
of God. 

But the fatal rock on which he struck was bad 
company. It was his first step down the slippery 
path of sin — that highway to perdition. 

11 He that once sins, like him that slides on ice, 
Goes swiftly down the slippery ways of vice ; 
Though conscience checks him, yet, those rubs gone o'er, 
He slides as smoothly and looks back no more." 8 

It is a curse to have wicked companions, for 

7 It is a great abuse of the young intellect to overtax the me- 
mory of children. Such a course often blights both mind and 
body. Many teachers and parents display a ?ad lack of know- 
ledge on this important point. Nothing but vanity or criminal 
ignorance will ever allow children to injure either health or eye- 
sight in the pursuit of knowledge. All study that is to redound 
to the glory of God and the good of the student must be guided 
by religion, prudence, and good sense. 

8 Dryden. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 215 

example is powerful. It seduces the young-, the 
thoughtless, the weak-willed, " Let us go," 
" Let us do it," exclaims youthful scoundrelism, 
and every one is ashamed not to be shame- 
less. 

Augustine went down step by step, until at last 
he fell into the cesspool of impurity. He was 
led into this mire of iniquity as much by the dan- 
gerous example of others as by idleness and the 
reading of immodest plays in Terence. He did 
not pray, he did not avoid the occasions of sin; 
and let nobody wonder that this bright, promis- 
ing young man soon found himself swimming in 
the putrid waters of vice. 

Patricius, as a pagan, was ignorant of the very 
meaning of that Christian word, virtue ; and, in 
relation to the reprehensible conduct of his son, 
he used no fatherly restraint. He merely winked 
at his vices and follies, provided Augustine toil- 
ed hard to be a scholar. But how the tender, 
motherly heart of Monica bled ! She prayed and 
admonished. 

It " seemed to me," says the Saint himself, 
" but the admonitions of a woman, which I was 
ashamed to obey ; but, O God ! they were Thy 
admonitions, and I knew it not. By her Thou 
didst speak to me, and in her I despised Thee. 
Yet I knew it not, and with such blindness did I 
rush on that among my equals I was ashamed of 



2i6 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

being- less guilty than others when I heard them 
bragging of their atrocious actions. I had a 
mind to do the same." 

In his seventeenth year Augustine was sent to 
Carthage, 9 where he easily held the first place in 
the school of rhetoric. He flung himself into 
study with all the ardor and energy of genius^but 
his motives, as he avows, were neither lofty nor 
Christian. He labored merely through vanity 
and ambition. Nor did progress in knowledge 
improve his life ; for he was still the base slave of 
his passions. A year passed, and his father Pa- 
tricius died in the Catholic faith — a happy result 
brought about by the example, tears, and prayers 
of the kind, devoted St. Monica. 

Augustine continued to pursue his studies at 
Carthage. He carefully read Cicero, Aristotle, and 
other heathen philosophers. At length, however, 
he grew weary of their company and turnjed to 
the Holy Scripture; but he was too proud and 
unspiritual to profit by the perusal of that sacred 
volume. He disliked its simplicity of style. Nor 



9 Carthage was one of the great cities of ancient times. At 
one period it was twenty-three miles in circumference and had 
700 000 inhabitants. It was for more than seven hundred years 
the capital of the republic of Carthage, which became a great 
commercial and maritime power, and planted colonies all along 
the coasts of Northern Africa, and also in Spain, Sicily, Corsica, 
and Sardinia. — Mitchell. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 2 1 7 

was it long till unfortunately he fell into heresy 
by joining- a vain sect called the Manichees. 10 

For nearly nine years he continued wandering in 
error — irom the age of nineteen to that of twenty- 
eight. Thus corruption of heart degraded and 
blinded the intellect, and created an intense loath- 
ing of all things spiritual. Thus the mind was 
predisposed to error, and poor misguided reason 
fell into heresy. " I sought with pride," says the 
Saint in his ' Confessions,' " what only humility 
could make me find." 

Unhappily, Augustine's vanity was flattered 
by the wily Manichees. They pretended to try 
everything by the test of reason alone. 11 They 
scoffed at the authority of the Catholic Church. 
They made a foolish parade of science. But 
these hardened, short-sighted heretics were too 
blind to comprehend that there has ever been and 
ever must be complete harmony between sound 
reason and true science and the divine authority 
of the Church of God. 12 "All heretics," declares 

10 Originated by Manes, an apostate priest. 

" The sublime mysteries of religion are above reason — but not 
contrary to it — hence it is not the sphere of reason to sit in judg- 
ment on those heavenly truths. Reason cannot logically con- 
stitute itself judge of the supernatural. 

"If any one shall say," declares the Council of the Vatican, 
" that human reason is so independent that faith cannot be en- 
joined upon it by God, let him be anathema." — Decrees and Canons. 

12 Faith and reason can never be opposed to one another. 



2 1 8 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

the great Doctor himself, " generally deceive by 
a parade of science, and blame the simplicity of 
believers." 

But in spite of Augustine's errors of mind and 
heart, his progress in learning was truly extraor- 
dinary. At twenty years of age he had mastered 
most of the liberal sciences. " What did this 
profit me," he exclaims, " when it did me harm ? " 
Alas ! he knew everything but himself and the 
true knowledge of God. 

The grief of St. Monica at the fall of her gift- 
ed son into heresy was inexpressible. She pray- 
ed, and wept, and admonished. She regarded him 
as worse than a heathen, because he would not 
hear the Church ; and when he returned to his 
native town she forbade him to eat at her table, 
or even to enter her door. The noble mother 
used this severity and pointed indignation in 
order to make Augustine enter into himself. He 
was mentally intoxicated. He was bloated with 
conceit. 

St. Monica besought a learned bishop to speak 
to her son ; but the prelate excused himself, say- 

" Although faith is above reason," say the Fathers of the Vatican 
Council, " there can never be any real discrepancy between faith 
and reason, since the same God who reveals mysteries nnd infuses 
faith ha? bestowed the light of reason on the human mind ; and 
God cannot deny Himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth." 
— Decrees and Canons. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 219 

ing that the misguided young man was not yet 
fit for profitable instruction. "Only pray to our 
Lord for your son," he said, "and he will at 
length discover his error and impiety." 

Soon the devoted lady came again with the 
same earnest request ; but the good old bishop 
dismissed her, saying : " Go, and God will bless 
your son. It cannot be that the child of such 
tears should perish." She was comforted, and 
received those words as if they had been whis- 
pered by an angel from heaven. 

After having opened for a time a school of rhe- 
toric at Carthage, Augustine determined to go 
to Rome, which seemed to offer a wider field for 
his ambition. He went against the wishes of his 
mother. On reaching the imperial city, however, 
he fell sick, and was soon at the point of death. 
" Where would I have gone," he writes, " if I had 
then died, but into those flames and torments 
which I deserved ? " 

On regaining health he opened a school of rhe- 
toric in the great city, and students flocked to fill 
the benches. He soon became very popular. 
His kind ways and sweetness of temper were as 
much admired as the sparkle of his wit and the 
brilliancy of his learning. But in a short time 
he was called to Milan, where the Emperor Val- 
entinian the Younger kept his court. 

The reception of Augustine at Milan was very 



220 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

flattering. Even the great St. Ambrose, 13 then 
archbishop of that city, showed him particular 
marks of respect. The young professor often at- 
tended his sermons, and no doubt many a grain 
of good seed fell on the hard ground of his soul. 
Though full of pride and prejudice, his eyes were, 
by degrees, opened to the beauty of virtue and 
the sublimity of the Catholic Church. 

At length, he addressed himself in his difficul- 
ties to Simplician, an aged and learned priest of 
Milan. This was a wise step on the way to truth ; 
but Augustine was still held captive by the tyr- 
anny of his passions. " I sighed and longed to 
be delivered," he exclaims mournfully, " but was 
kept fast bound, not with chains or irons, but with 
my own iron will. The enemy held my will and 
made a chain of it that fettered me fast." 

Truly, in the words of the old hymn, two men 
were striving within him : 

" Mon Dieu ! quel'e guerre cruelle — 
Je trouve deux homme en moi." 14 

It was the vice of impurity especially that par- 
alyzed the efforts of this gifted man to rise at once 
from the mire of sin and walk in the bright way 

M St. Ambrose is one of the nineteen immortal Doctors of the 
Church. He died in 397. 

14 *' My God ! what war I wage — 
Two men within me strive." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 221 

of virtue. The divine dignity of chastity, it is 
true, forced itself upon his keen, cultured mind ; 
but, on the other hand, the power of evil habits 
was terrible. He was chained down ; but he wept 
and cried to Heaven. At length the grace of 
God came, and Augustine triumphed over him- 
self. His conversion happened at the age of 
thirty-two, in the year 386. In company with his 
now overjoyed mother — who had devotedly fol- 
lowed him to Italy — he retired to a country-house 
near Milan. 

While thus in solitude, employed in prayer and 
penance, he tells us that God " by his grace 
brought down the pride of his spirit, and laid low 
the mountains of his vain thoughts by daily bring- 
ing him to a greater sense of that misery and 
bondage from which he had just escaped." 

He wept over the wounds and spiritual miseries 
of his tempest-tossed soul. He thought of the 
precious time he had lost in pursuing toys of van- 
ity and phantoms of shame, and, looking up to 
heaven, he exclaimed from the bottom of his now 
burning and repentant heart : " O Beauty, ever 
ancient and ever new, too late have I known Thee, 
too late have I loved Thee ! " 

Augustine was baptized by St. Ambrose on 
Easter Eve, in the year 387. No sooner had he 
received the sacrament of regeneration than hap- 
pily he found himself freed from all anxiety in re- 



222 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

lation to bis past life. Thus he began to taste the 
sweets of virtue ; he began to know the peace and 
beauty of a good life. " Keep a good conscience," 
says a Kempis, " and thou shalt always have 
joy." 

The illustrious convert resolved to return to 
Africa, but had only reached the port of Ostia 
when he lost that model of good, tender, and he- 
roic mothers — St. Monica. It was only after she 
was piously interred that he gave vent to tears, 
and then they flowed in streams doAvn his manly 
face. " If any one think it a fault," he exclaims, 
" that 1 thus wept for my mother some small part 
of an hour — and a mother who during many years 
had wept for me that I might live in Thy eyes, O 
Lord ! — let him not scoff at me for it, but, if his 
charity is great, rather let him weep also for my 
sins before Thee." 

He landed at Carthage in 388. Retiring at 
once to his country-house, he lived for nearly 
three years entirely disengaged from all temporal 
concerns, meditating day and night on the law of 
God, fasting, praying, and instructing others by 
his books and discourses. A few pious friends 
gathered around him. He settled his paternal 
estate on the church of Tagaste, only on condi- 
tion that the bishop should furnish him with a 
yearly sum sufficient for his support among his 
religious companions. In their house everything 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 223 

was in common. It is from this period that the 
Order of St. Augustine dates its origin. 

Augustine was ordained priest, much against 
his own wishes, in 390. 15 " O my father Vale- 
rius!" he said to the Bishop of Hippo, " do you 
command me to perish ? Where is your charity ? 
Do you love me? Do you love your church? I 
am sure you love both me and your church. But 
many things are wanting to me for the discharge 
of this employment, which are not to be attained 
but as our Lord directs us, by asking, seeking, 
and knocking — that is, by praying, reading, and 
weeping." 

Feeling in the depth of his great soul that the 
instruction of the flock is the chief duty of the 
pastor, death alone interrupted the course of the 
Saint's eloquent sermons. He preached every 
day, and sometimes twice a day. Often he was 
so weak that he could scarcely speak, but he 
ceased not to instruct. 16 Such was his ardor for 
the salvation of souls that he forgot the pains of 
sickness. 

As Valerius, Bishop of Hippo, was bending 
under the weight of years, he had Augustine 

15 The disorders of his youth would have been a perpetual dis- 
qualification or irregularity, had they happened after his baptism ; 
but from that time he was become a new man, and was then more 
conspicuous for piety than for his great learning. — Butler. 

16 St. Augustine always preached in Latin. 



224 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

nominated his coadjutor; but the Saint vigor- 
ously opposed the project. He was compelled, 
however, to submit to the will of Heaven, and was 
consecrated in December, 395. Valerius died the 
year following. 

We have not space to speak at length of St. 
Augustine in his new dignity as Bishop of Hip- 
po. 17 He was a bishop of bishops. 

" He tried each art, reproved each dull delay, 
Allured to brighter worlds, and led the way." 

The Saint's clothes and furniture were modest and 
in good taste, but rigidly simple. With the ex- 
ception of spoons, no silver was used in his house. 
His dishes were of earth, wood, or marble. He 
exercised a kind hospitality. During meals he 
loved reading or the discussion of literary topics 
rather than ordinary conversation. He abhorred 
detraction, and in order to warn his guests to shun 
it, the following lines were written on his table: 

" This board allows no vile detractor place, 
Whose tongue shall charge the absent with disgrace." 

Should any one forget himself on that point, the 
great Bishop at once arose and retired to his room. 
His love for the poor was intense ; nor was he afraid 

17 Hippo (often called Hippo-Regius) was a city on the sea- 
coast of Numidia. Its chief glory is that St. Augustine was its 
bishop. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 225 

to contract considerable debts that he might sup- 
ply their wants. He scarcely ever made any 
other visits than to orphans, widows, the sick, 
and the distressed. But his zeal for the salvation 
of his whole flock seemed boundless. 

" I desire not to be saved without you," said 
he to his people. " What shall I desire ? What 
shall I say ? Why am I bishop? Why am I in 
the world only to live in Jesus Christ ? It is but 
to live in Him with you. This is my passion, my 
honor, my glory, my joy, and my riches." 

The charitable zeal of St. Augustine in com, 
bating the heretics of his time is beyond all 
praise. In public and private he made war on 
religious error ; and his kindness and vast learnt 
ing carried all before them. Nor was his golden 
pen ever idle. He was the light of his day and 
country as well as of after-ages. 

When his last illness came, this great Doctor 
ordered the Seven Penitential Psalms to be written, 
out and hung in tablets on the wall near his bed. 
Thus, lying on the couch of death, he read and 
re-read the contrite words of David with tears 
streaming down his venerable cheeks. He made 
no will, for he possessed nothing. To the end his 
luminous intellect shone out clear and vigorous, 
and his last days were an almost ceaseless prayer. 
He died, with the blissful calmness of one who 
knows that he is going to receive the reward of 



226 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

the faithful servant, at the ripe age of seventy-six 
vears — over forty of which he had spent in the 
service of Heaven — on the 28th of August, a.d. 
430. 

St. Augustine is the prince of the Fathers and 
Doctors. Popes, councils, and the whole Church 
have honored his holy memory and his immortal 
writings. 18 But the greatness and sanctity of this 
illustrious man were built up on the broad and 
deep foundations of humility. He was little in his 
own eyes. "Attempt not," he writes, "to reach 
true wisdom by any other road than that which 
God has appointed. In the first, second, and 
third place, this is humility ; and as often as you 
ask me I must give the same answer. There are, 

18 His "Confessions" and "The City of God" are, perhaps, 
the best known of all his works. In his "Confessions" the 
great Saint lays open the errors of his conduct with the most sin- 
cere humility and compunction. The " City of God " is a pro- 
foundly learned defence of the Christian religion. It is one of 
the greatest monuments of human genius. Others among: the 
Fathers and Doctors of the Church may have been more learned 
or masters of a purer style, but none more powerfully touched 
the heart and kindled within it the fire of religion. 

His famous remark on the name Catholic is even more sugges- 
tive in our day than it was when penned over fourteen centuries 
ago. "I am retained in the Church," he says, "by her very 
name of Catholic ; for it was not without a cause that she alone, 
amid so many heresies, obtained that name. All the heretics de- 
sire to be called Catholics ; but if a stranger asks them which is 
the Church of the Catholics, none of them venture to point out 
their church." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 227 

indeed, other precepts, but unless humility go be- 
fore, accompany, and follow, all the merit of our 
good actions is snatched away by pride." 19 

19 The Order of St. Augustine was introduced into the United 
States in 1790. St. Augustine's Church, in Philadelphia, was 
committed to the flames by a mob of fanatics in 1844. (See our 
" Popular History of the Catholic Church in the United States," 
p. 240.) It was afterwards rebuilt. The Augustinian Fathers 
now direct over twenty churches in various States. They also 
conduct Villanova College, Pa. The first American Indian who 
was raised to the dignity of the priesthood was educated by the 
Augustinians and became a member of their order. He belonged 
to the Iroquois, or Five Nations, and was captured by the Spaniards 
in the early part of the seventeenth century. The oldest city in 
the United States is named after this great Doctor. It was found- 
ed by Melendez, a Spanish admiral, in the year 1565, 



THE APOSTLE OF IRELAND. 
DIED A.D. 465. 



" All praise to St. Patrick, who brought to our mountains 
The gift of God's faith, the sweet light of His love ; 
All praise to the shepherd who showed us the fountains 
That rise in the heart of the Saviour above ! 

" There is not a Saint in the bright courts of heaven 
More faithful than he to the land of his choice ; 
Oh ! well may the nation to whom he was given 
In the feast of their sire and Apostle rejoice. 
In glory above, 
True to his love, 
He keeps the false faith from his children away — 
The dark, false faith 
Far worse than death." 

— Faber. 

j|T. PATRICK, whose noble name 1 is re- 
vered in many lands, was born in the 
year 387, at Boulogne, in the north of 
France. 2 His father, Calphurnius, and his mo- 

1 Patrick is from the Latin, and signifies noble. 

2 There is a curious want of unanimity amongst ecclesiastical 
historians as to the birthplace of St. Patrick. Baronius and 

238 




Little Lives of the Great Saints. 229 

ther, Conchessa, a niece of St. Martin, Archbishop 
of Tours, were persons of rank and virtue. Con- 
chessa, it is said, was noted for elegance of man- 
ners and beauty of person. 

The Saint's childhood was marked by many mi- 
raculous incidents. We can give but one. While 
running about in a field one of his sisters slipped 
and fell, striking her forehead against a sharp 
stone. The girl was so stunned and severely 
wounded that she seemed to be lifeless. Friends 
anxiously gathered around, and her little brother 
was soon on the scene. Patrick's surgery was 
wonderful. He made the sign of the cross on 
her blood-stained countenance, and instantly the 
wound was healed. But the scar remained as a 
sign to mark the spot where faith and holiness 
had gained a victory. 

The boy grew up in the bright way of virtue. 
His merits far surpassed his years. In the words 
of the venerable monk Jocelin, he went " forward 
in the slippery paths of youth and held his feet 
from falling. The garment that nature had woven 
for him — unknown to stain — he preserved whole, 

others say he was born in Ireland ; Usher and his followers make 
him a native of Scotland ; and others give him a still different 
origin. But this disputed p'-' t seems to have been finally set- 
tled by the learned Dr. Lanigan in his " Ecclesiastical History of 
Ireland." He proves that the Saint was born at Boulogne, in 
France. See Lanigan's " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland " and 
Sister Cusack's " Life of St. Patrick." 



230 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

living a virgin in mind and body. On the arrival 
of the fit time he was sent from his parents to be 
instructed in sacred learning. 

" He applied his mind to the study of letters, 
but chiefly to psalms and hymns and spiritual 
songs, retaining them in his memory and continu- 
ally singing them to the Lord ; so that even from 
the flower of his first youth he was daily wont to 
sing devoutly unto God the whole psalter, and 
from his most pure heart to pour forth many 
prayers." 3 

But the day of trial was at hand. The future 
Apostle of Erin was to be tested as gold in a fur- 
nace. When he had reached the age of sixteen, 
the famous King Niall of the Nine Hostages, 
monarch of Ireland, 4 swept along the coast of 
France on a marauding expedition, and captured 
the good youth with many of his countrymen. 
Patrick was carried to the shores of Ireland, and 

3 " The Life and Acts of St. Patrick." 

4 Niall the Great, or, as he is usually called, Niall of the Nine 
Hostages, was the one hundred and twenty-sixth monarch of Ire- 
land. 

Ireland is a fertile and beautiful island, 306 miles in length 
and 1S0 in breadth. It has been known at various periods of his- 
tory as Ei in, Hibemia, and Scotia. It was called Hibernia by 
Caesar, Pliny, Tacitus, and other Roman writers. The name 
of Scotia was exclusively applied to Ireland until the eleventh 
century, when it was transferred to Scotland, called Alba, and 
sometimes Scotia Minor, before that period. Ireland has been so 
named by the English during the last seven or eight centuries. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 231 

sold as a slave to Milcho, a chief ruling over a 
portion of the county of Antrim. 

The young- captive was chiefly employed in 
tending herds of sheep and swine on the moun- 
tains. It was a period of sore adversity. But 
his soul rose above such lowly occupations and 
held unbroken communion with Heaven. Thus, 
in the heat of summer and the biting blasts of 
winter, on the steep sides of Slieb-mish 5 or on 
the lone hill-tops of Antrim, he recalled the sacred 
presence of God, and made it a practice to say " a 
hundred prayers by day and nearly as many more 
at night." 6 

5 Slieb-mish (the dish-shaped mountain) is one of the most beau- 
tiful elevations in Ireland. It rises in the form of a spherical 
cone to the height of several thousand feet, in the midst of a fine, 
level, fertile district, about the centre of the county of Antrim. 
It is flat on the top, which is watered by a never-failing spring. 
The sides are clothed with the greenest of grass, and to this 
day Siieb-mish is what it was in the days of St. Patrick — a pas- 
ture-ground for sheep. For the foregoing description of this 
famous mountain the writer is indebted to his father, Mr. Edward 
Murray. 

6 " But after I had come to Ireland I was employed in tending 
sheep, and I prayed frequently during the day. The love of God, 
and His faith and fear, increased in me more and more, and the 
spirit was stirred, so that in a single day I have said as many as 
a hundred prayers and at night nearly the same. Though I re- 
mained in the woods and on the mountain even before dawn, I 
was aroused to prayer, in snow and ice and rain ; and I felt no 
injury from it, nor was there any slothfulness in me, as I see now, 
because my soul was then fervent." — Confessions of St. Patrick. 



232 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

After Patrick had served Milcho for six years, 
he was one night favored with a vision, as he re- 
lates in his " Confessions." " You fast well," said 
the voice. " You will soon go to your own 
country. The ship is ready." 

To Patrick this was welcome news. 

"Then girding close his mantle, and grasping fast his wand, 
He sought the open ocean through ihe by-ways of the land." 

A ship, indeed, was about to sail, but he had 
much difficulty in obtaining a place on board. 
After a passage of three days he landed at Tre- 
guier, in Brittany. He was still, however, a long 
distance from his native place, and in making the 
journey he suffered much from hunger and fa- 
tigue. But he bravely triumphed over all ob- 
stacles — including the devil, who one night fell 
upon him like a huge stone — and reached home 
at the age of twenty-two, about the year 410. 

The Saint now formed the resolution of devot- 
ing himself wholly to the service of God, and 
retired to the celebrated monastery of St. Martin 
at Tours, where he spent four years in study and 
prayer. After this he returned home for a time. 

It was not long, however, before Patrick's fu- 
ture mission was shadowed forth by a vision. 
One night a dignified personage appeared to him, 
bearing many letters from Ireland. He handed 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 233 

the Saint one, on which was written: "This IS 
THE VOICE OF THE Irish." While in the act of 
reading - , he says, " I seemed to hear the voices oi" 
people from the wood of Fochut, 7 near the west- 
ern sea, crying- out with one accord: ' Holy youth, 
we implore thee to come and walk still amongst us.' fi 
Patrick's noble heart was touched. He " awoke, 
and could read no longer." 

Saint and student that he was, Patrick now 
began to prepare himself with redoubled vigor 
for the vast work that lay before him. He placed 
himself under the guidance of St. Germain, the 
illustrious Bishop of Auxerre, who sent him to a 
famous seminary in the isle of Lerins, where he 
spent nine years in study and retirement. 8 It 
was here that he received the celebrated crosier 
called the Staff of Jesus, which he afterward car- 

7 The village bearing the name of Tocoill, but little varied from 
the ancient name, Fochut, found in St. Patrick's biography, is yet 
to be seen on the west of Killala, not far from the Bay of Kil- 
cummin. — Archbishop Mac Hale's Letters. 

8 Lerins is an island in the Mediterranean, not far from Toulon. 
In 410, the very year in which St. Patrick escaped from captivity, 
a young noble, who preferred poverty to riches and asceticism to 
pleasure, made for himself a home. The island was barren, de- 
serted, and infested by serpents — all the more reason for his 
choice. The barrenness soon disappeared, for labor was one of 
the most important duties of the monk ; and it is scarcely an ex- 
aggeration to say that one-half of the marshes of Europe were re- 
claimed and made fruitful by these patient tillers of the soil.— 
Sister Cusack, Life of St. Patrick. 



234 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

ried with him in his apostolic visitations through 
Ireland. 9 

The learned and saintly priest returned to his 
patron, St. Germain, and passed several years in 
the work of the holy ministry and in combating 
heresy. In 430, however, St. Germain sent him 
to Rome with letters of introduction to the Holy 
Father, warmly recommending him as one in 
every way qualified for the great mission of con- 
verting the Irish people. A residence of six 
years in the country, a perfect knowledge of its 
language, customs, and inhabitants, and a life of 
study, innocence, and sanctity — these were the 

9 In the "Tripartite Life of St. Patrick," written by St. Mac- 
Evin in the sixth century, it is stated that the Saint received this 
staff from the Lord Himself, who " said that it would be of assis- 
tance to him in every danger and every difficulty." 

Jocelin, in his " Life and Acts of St. Patrick," composed in the 
twelfth century, exclaims: "O excellent gift, descending from 
the Father of Light ! . . . For as the Lord did many miracles 
by the rod in the hand of Moses, leading forth the Hebrews out 
of the land of Egypt, so by the staff which had been formed by 
His own hand was He pleased, through Patrick, to do many and 
great wonders for the conversion of many nations. And the 
staff is held in much veneration in Ireland, and even unto this 
day it is called the Staff of Jesus." 

This precious relic of the Saint was long honored with the 
veneration of Catholic Ireland in the Church of the Holy Trinity 
at Dublin ; but in the early years of the so-called Reformation — 
that godless time of sacrilege and wild profanation— the Staff of 
Jesus was stripped of its priceless ornaments and cast into the 
flames by a fanatical Protestant. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 235 

high testimonials which Patrick bore from the 
Bishop of Auxerre to the Vicar of Christ. 

Pope Celestine I. gave the Saint a kindly re- 
ception, and issued bulls authorizing his conse- 
cration as bishop. Receiving the apostolic bene- 
diction, he returned to France, and was there 
raised to the episcopal dignity. 10 The invitation, 
" Come, holy youth, and walk amongst us," rang 
ever in his ears. It armed his soul with energy. 
The new Bishop bade adieu to home and kindred, 
and set out for the labor of his life with twenty 
well-tried companions. 

It is supposed that St. Patrick first landed on 
the coast of the county of Wicklow ; but the 
hostility of the natives obliged him to re-embark, 
and he sailed northward toward the scenes of his 
former captivity. He finally cast anchor on the 
historic coast of Down, and, with all his com- 
panions, landed in the year 432 at the mouth of 
the little river Slaney, 31 which falls into Strang- 
ford Lough. The apostolic band had advanced 
but a short distance into the country when they 
encountered the servants of Dicho, lord of that 

10 The "Tripartite Life" of the Saint states that he was conse- 
crated Bishop by Pope Celestine himself. Various other writers 
say that he was consecrated in France. See Sister Cusack's 
elaborate "Life of St. Patrick," chap. vi. p. 210. 

11 The Slaney "rises in Loughmoney, and passes through Ra- 
holp, emptying itself into Strangford Lough, between Ringbane 
and Ballintogher." — Sister Cusack. 



236 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

district. Taking the Saint and his followers for 
pirates, they grew alarmed and fled at their ap- 
proach. 

The news soon reached the ears of Dicho, who 
hastily armed his retainers and sallied forth to 
meet the supposed enemy. 12 He was not long in 
learning, however, that the war which Patrick 
was about to wage was not one of swords and 
bucklers, but of peace and charity ; and with true 
kindness and Irish hospitality, Dicho invited the 
apostle to his residence. 

It was a golden opportunity. Nor did the 
Saint permit it to escape. He announced the 
bright truths of the Gospel. Dicho and all his 
household heard, believed, and were baptized. 
The Bishop celebrated Holy Mass in a barn, and 
the church which the good, kind-hearted chief 
erected on its site was afterwards known as Sab- 
hall™ -Patrick, or Patrick's Barn. Thus Dicho 
was Patrick's first convert in Ireland. The glo- 
rious work was commenced. In that beautiful 
isle the cross was destined to triumph over 
paganism, and ever more to reign on its ruins. 

12 "Dicho came and set his dog at the clerics. Then it was 
that Patrick uttered the prophetic verse, Ne trades bestis, etc.. et 
cants obmutuit. When Dicho saw Patrick he became gentle." — 
Tripartite Life of St. Pahick. 

13 Sabhall (pronounced Saul) means a barn. It afterwards be- 
came a monastery of Canons Regular. Saul is now the name of 
the parish. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 237 

The great missionary next set out to visit his 
old master, hoping to gain him over to the faith. 
But when Milcho heard of the Saint's approach, 
his hard heathen soul revolted at the idea that 
he might have to submit in some way to the doc- 
trine of his former slave. The old man's rage 
and grief, it is related, induced him to commit 
suicide. " This son of perdition," says the ancient 
monk, Jocelin, " gathered together all his house- 
hold effects and cast them into the fire, and then, 
throwing himself on the flames, he made himself 
a holocaust for the infernal demons." 14 

At this time Laegrius, 15 supreme monarch of 
Ireland, was holding an assembly or congress of 
all the Druids, bards, and princes of the nation 
in his palace at Tara. St. Patrick resolved to be 
present at this great meeting of chiefs and wise 
men, and to celebrate in its midst the festival of 
Easter, which was now approaching. 

He resolved with one bold stroke to paralyze the 
efforts of the Druids by sapping the very centre 
of their power. He resolved to plant the glorious 
standard of the Cross on the far-famed Hill of 
Tara, lfi the citadel of Ireland. Nor did he fail. 

14 Milcho's two daughters were converted, and one of his 
sons was made a bishop by St. Patrick. 

15 This Laegrius (or Lear)') was one of the sons of Niall of the 
Nine Hostages. 

16 The Hill of Tara is large, verdant, level at the top, and ex- 



2^S Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

It was the eve of Easter when the Saint arrived 
at Slane 17 and pitched his tent. At the same hour 
the regal halls of Tara were filled with all the 
princes of the land. It was the feast of Baal-ticn, 
or sun-worship ; and the laws of the Druids or- 
dained that no fire should be lighted in the whole 
country till the great fire flamed upon the royal Hill 
of Tara. It so happened, however, that Patrick's 
Paschal light was seen from the king's palace. 
The Druids were alarmed. 18 The monarch and 

tremely beautiful ; and though not very high, it commands exten- 
sive and most magnificent prospects over the great and fertile 
plains of Meath. At Tara the ancient records and chronicles of 
the kingdom were carefully preserved ; these records and chroni- 
cles formed the basis of the ancient history of Ireland, called the 
" Psalter of Tara," which was brought to complete accuracy in the 
third century ; and from the " Psalter of Tara " and other records 
was compiled, in the ninth century, by Cormac MacCullenan, 
Archbishop of Cashel and King of Munster, the celebrated work 
called the " Psalter of Cashel." The triennial legislative assem- 
blies at Tara, which were the parliaments of ancient Ireland, con- 
tinued down to the middle of the sixth century; the last convention 
of the states at Tara being held, according to the " Annals of 
Tigearnach," a.d. 560, in the reign of the monarch Diarmot, who 
abandoned that royal palace a.d. 563. — (J Hart, Irish Pedigrees. 

17 Slane is on the left bank of the Boyne, in the county of 
Meath. 

je "The Druids," writes the Abbe MacGeoghegan, " alarmed 
at this attempt, carried iheir complaints before the monarch, and 
said to him that, if he had not that fire immediately extinguished, 
he who had kindled it, and his successors, would hold for ever 
the sovereignty of Ireland ; which prophecy has been fulfilled, in 
a spiritual sense." — History of Ireland. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 239 

his courtiers were indignant. The Apostle was 
ordered to appear before the assembly on the day 
following. 

" Gleamed the sun-ray, soft and yellow, 

On the gentle plains of Meath ; 
Spring's low breezes, fresh and mellow, 

Through the woods scarce seemed to breathe; 
And on Tara, proud and olden, 

Circled round with radiance fair, 
Decked in splendor bright and golden, 

Sat the court of Laeghaire — 

" Chieftains with the collar of glory 

And the long hair flowing free ; 
Priest and Brehon, bent and hoary, 

Soft-tongued Bard and Seanachie. 
Silence filled the sunny ether, 

Eager light in every eye, 
As in banded rank together 

Stranger forms approacheth nigh, 

" Tall and stately — white beards flowing 

In bright streaks adown the breast — ■ 
Cheeks with summer beauty glowing, 

Eyes of thoughtful, holy rest; 
And in front their saintly leader, 

Patrick, walked with cross in hand, 
Which from Arranto Ben Edar 

Soon rose high above the land." 

The Apostle preached before Laegrius and 
the great ones of Tara. " The sun which you 
behold," said he, " rises and sets by God's decree 
for our benefit ; but it shall never reign, nor shall 



240 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

its splendor be immortal. All who adore it shall 
miserably perish. But we adore the true Sun — 
Jesus Christ." 19 

The chief bard, Dubtach, was the first of the 
converts of Tara ; and from that hour he consecrat- 
ed his genius to Christianity. A few days after 
Conall, the king's brother, embraced the faith. 
Thus Irish genius and royalty began to bow to 
the Cross. The heathen Laegrius blindly per- 
severed in his errors, but feared openly to oppose 
the holy Apostle. The scene at Tara recalls to 
mind the preaching of St. Paul before the assem- 
bled wisdom and learning of the Areopagus. 

A court magician named Lochu attempted to 
oppose St. Patrick. He mocked Christ, and de- 
clared that he himself was a god. The people 
were dazzled with his infamous tricks. The hardy 
impostor even promised to raise himself from the 
earth and ascend to the clouds, and before king 
and people he one day made the attempt. The 
Saint was present. " O Almighty God!'' he 
prayed, " destroy this blasphemer of thy holy 

10 It was on this occasion that St. Patrick, when told by the 
Druids that the doctrine of the Trinity was absurd, as three could 
not exist in one, stooped down, and, pulling a shamrock, which has 
three leaves on one stem, replied : " To prove the reality and 
possibility of the existence of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I 
have only to pluck up this humble plant, on which we have trod- 
den, and convince you that truth can be attested by the simplest 
symbol of illustration." — Mooney. 



Litlle Lives cf the Great Saints. 241 

Name, nor let him hinder those who now return, 
or may hereafter return, to Thee." The words 
were scarcely uttered when Lochu took a 
downward flight. The wretch fell at the Apostle's ' 
feet, dashed his head against a stone, and immedi- 
ately expired. 

After a short stay at various points, St. Patrick 
penetrated into Connaught. In the county of 
Cavan he overthrew the great idol called Crom- 
Cruach™ and on its ruins erected a stately church. 
It was about this time that he baptized the two 
daughters of King Laegrius. The fair royal con- 
verts soon after received the veil at his hands. 

The Apostle held his first synod in 435, near 
Elphin, during which he consecrated several 
bishops for the growing Church of Ireland. It 
was in the Lent of this year that he returned to 
Crtiach-Patrick, a mountain in Mayo, and spent 
forty days, praying, fasting, and beseeching hea- 
ven to make beautiful Erin an isle of saints. 21 

20 Crom-Cruach (which signifies the stooping monument) was the 
chief idol in Ireland. It was situated in the present barony of 
Tullyhaw, county of Cavan. According to the "Tripartite Life 
of St. Patrick," this "' arch idol of Erin was made of gold and 
silver, surrounded by twelve other idols formed of bronze." 

21 According to the ancient " Tripartite Life" of the Saint, it 
was on this occasion that he obtained from God the privilege 
of judging the people of Ireland on the last day. 

"Is there anything else you demand?" asked the angel. 
" There is," said Patrick. " The day that the twelve royal seats 



242 Little Lives cf the Great Saints. 

The most glorious success everywhere attended 
his footsteps. The heavenly seed of truth fell 
on good ground, and produced more than a 
hundred-fold. Nor did miracles fail, from time 

shall be on the Mount, and when the four rivers of fire shall be 
about the Mount, and when the three peoples shall be there — 
namely, the people of heaven, the people of earth, and the people 
of hell — that I myself may be judge over the men of Erui on that 
day." * ' This thing cannot be obtained from the Lord," said the 
angel. "Unless this is obtained from Him, I shall never leave 
this mountain," answered Patrick. The angel went to heaven. 
Patrick began to pray. When evening came the angel appeared. 
Patrick enquired as to the success o! his request. " It is granted," 
said the angel ; " all creatures, visible and invisible, including the 
twelve Apostles, entreated, and they have obtained." — Tripartite 
Life, part ii. 

''Jocelin adds," writes the Abbe MacGeoghegan, ''that he 
(St. Patrick) collected all the serpents and venomous reptiles of 
the country upon this mountain and cast them into the ocean, to 
which he ascribes the exemption of this island from all venomous 
reptiles. Solinus, however, who had written some centuries be- 
fore the arrival of St. Patrick in Ireland, makes mention of this 
exemption ; and after him Isidore, Bishop of Seville, in the 
seventh century, and Bede in the eighth, speak of it without as- 
signing any cause. It seems that Jocelin is the first who gave 
this account ; thus it is probable that it proceeds from the climate, 
or the nature of the soil, rather than from any supernatural cause." 
— History of Ireland. 

To the present writer's mind this subject stands thus: 

(1) It is a. fact that Ireland is exempt from venomous reptiles. 

(2) This exemption is the result either of God's working through 
nnture, or of God's working a miracle through the instrumentality 
of St. Patrick. 

(3) But whether this exemption can be traced to some blessing 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 243 

to time, to come to the aid of the newly-announced 
doctrine. He reached Tirawley at a time when 
the seven sons of Amalgaidh were disputing over 
the succession to the crown of their deceased 
father. Great multitudes had gathered together. 
The Saint made his voice heard. An enraged 
magician rushed at him with murderous inten- 
tions ; but, in the presence of all, a sudden flash 
of lightning smote the would-be assassin. It was 
a day of victory for the true faith. The seven 
quarrelling princes and over twelve thousand 
persons were converted on the spot, and baptized 
in the well of Aen-Adharrac.™ 

St. Patrick, after spending seven years in Cofi- 
naught, 23 directed his course northward. He en- 
tered Ulster once more in 442. His progress 
through the historic counties of Donegal, Derry, 
Antrim, and others was one continued triumph. 
Princes and people alike heard, believed, and 

of nature or to the miracle of the Saint, it is equally the work of 
the Almighty ; for God is equally the Creator of nature and the 
Creator and Father of the Saints. 

It is, in truth, wonderful that Ireland, which has a milder 
climate and is under the same physical conditions as England 
and Scotland, is exempt from venomous reptiles, from which 
they are not. 

22 Aen-Adharrac signifies the one-horned hill. 

23 Ireland is at present divided into four provinces — Ulster, 
Munster, Leinster, and Connaught ; and these are subdivided 
into thirty-two counties. 



244 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

embraced the truth. Countless churches sprang 
up, new sees were established, and the Catholic 
religion placed on a deep, lasting foundation. 
The Apostle of Erin was a glorious architect, 
who did the work of God with matchless tho- 
roughness. 

" From faith's bright camp the demon fled, 
The path to heaven was cleared ; 
Religion raised her beauteous head — 
An Isle of Saints appeared." 

The Apostle next journeyed into Leinster, and 
founded many churches. It is related that on 
reaching a hill distant about a mile from a little 
village, situated on the borders of a beautiful bay, 
he stopped, swept his eye over the calm waters 
and the picturesque landscape, and, raising his 
hand, gave the scene his benediction, saying: 
" This village, now so small, shall one day be 
renowned. It shall grow in wealth and dignity 
until it shall become the capital of a kingdom." 
It is now the city of Dublin. 

In 445 St. Patrick passed to Munster, and pro- 
ceeded at once to " Cashel of the Kings." Angus, 
who was then the royal ruler of Munster, went 
forth to meet the herald of the Gospel, and 
warmly invited him to his palace. This prince 
had already been instructed in the faith, and the 
day after the Bishop's arrival was fixed for his 
baptism. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 245 

During the administration of the sacrament a 
very touching- incident occurred. The Saint 
planted his crosier — the Staff of Jesus — firmly in 
the ground by his side; but before reaching it 
the sharp iron point pierced the king's foot and 
pinned it to the earth. The brave convert never 
winced, though the pain must have been intense. 
The holy ceremony was over before St. Patrick 
perceived the streams of blood, and he imme- 
diately expressed his deep sorrow for causing 
such a painful accident. The noble Angus, how- 
ever, quietly replied that he had thought it was 
a part of the ceremony, adding that he was ready 
and willing to endure much more for the glory 
of Jesus Christ. 

Thus, in less than a quarter of a century from 
the day St. Patrick set. his foot on her emerald 
shores, the greater part of Ireland became Catho- 
lic. The darkness of ancient superstition every- 
where faded away before the celestial light of the 
Gospel. The groves of the pagan Druids were 
forsaken, and the holy sacrifice of the Mass was 
offered up on thousands of altars. 

The annals of Christianity record not a greater 
triumph. It is the sublime spectacle of the peo- 
ple of an entire nation casting away their heathen 
prejudices and the cherished traditions of ages, 
and gladly embracing the faith of Jesus Christ, 
announced to them by a man who had once been 



246 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

a miserable captive on their hills, but now an 
Apostle sent to them with the plenitude of power 
by Pope Celestine. 

Nor is it less remarkable that this glorious revo- 
lution — this happy conversion of peerless Ireland 
— was accomplished without the shedding of one 
drop of martyr blood, except, perhaps, at the 
baptism of Angus, when, 

" The royal foot transpierced, the gushing blood 
Enriched the pavement with a noble flood." 

While St. Patrick was meditating as to the site 
he should select for his metropolitan see, he was 
admonished by an angel that the destined spot was 
Armagh. Here he fixed the seat of his primacy 
in the year 445. A cathedral and many other re- 
ligious edifices soon crowned the Hill of Macha. 
The whole district was the gift of King Daire, a 
grandson of Eoghan. 

The Apostle, having thus established the Church 
of Ireland on a solid basis, set out for Rome to 
give an account of his labors to Pope St. Leo the 
Great. The Holy Father confirmed whatever 
St. Patrick had done, appointed him his Legate, 
and gave him many precious gifts on his depar- 
ture. 

The ancient biographers give many a curious 
legend and quaint anecdote in relation to our 
great Saint. Eoghan (Eugene, or Owen) was one 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 247 

of the sons of King Niall of the Nine Hostages. 
He was a bold and powerful prince, who acquired 
the country called after him " Tir-Owen " (Ty- 
rone), or Owen's country. His residence was at 
the famous palace of Aileach in Innishowen. 24 

When Eoghan heard of St. Patrick's arrival in 
his dominions, he went forth to meet him, received 
him with every mark of honor, listened with hu- 
mility to the word of God, and was baptized with 
all his household. But he had a temporal bless- 
ing to ask of the Apostle. 

" I am not good-looking," said the converted 
but ambitious Eoghan; "my brother precedes 
me on account of my ugliness." 

" What form do you desire ? " asked the Saint. 

" The form of Rioc, 25 the young man who is 
carrying your satchel," answered the prince. 

St. Patrick covered them over with the same 

24 Innishowen {i.e., Owen's Island) is a peninsula forming a 
portion of the present county of Donegal. It became the patri- 
mony of the O'Doherty family. In the ancient '' Tripartite Life " 
of our Saint it is related that he gave a particular blessing to In- 
nishowen. It is of this historic district that a poet of our day 
writes : 

" And fair are the valleys of green Innishowen, 
And hardy the fishers that call them their own — 
A race that nor traitor nor coward have known 
Enjoy the fair valleys of green Innishowen." 

25 Rioc was St. Patrick's nephew and an ecclesiastic of dignified 
bearing and extremely beautiful countenance. 



248 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

garment, the hands of each being clasped round 
the other. They slept thus, and afterwards 
awoke in the same form, with the exception of 
the tonsure. 

" I don't like my height," said Eoghan. 

"What size do you desire to be?" enquired 
the kind-hearted Saint. 

The prince seized his sword and reached up- 
wards. 

" I should like to be this height," he said ; and 
all at once he grew to the wished-for stature. 
The Apostle afterwards blessed Eoghan and his 
sons. 29 

" Which of your sons is dearest to you ? " asked 
St. Patrick. 

11 Muiredhach," 27 said the prince. 

" Sovereignty from him for ever," said the 
Saint. 

" And next to him ? " enquired St. Patrick. 

tt Fergus," he answered. 

" Dignity from him," said the Saint. 

" And after him ?" demanded the Apostle. 

" Eocha Bindech," said Eoghan. 

" Warriors from him," said the Saint. 

26 " From this Eoghan," writes O'Hart, "came (among others) 
the following families : O'Jfa/ie, 'Dafy,0 'Hagan, , Crean,0'Cu?v- 
lan, etc." — Irish Pedigrees, p. 118. 

27 The ancestor, according to the old genealogists, of the Mur- 
ray family ; this old name is written (J Muiredhaigh in Irish. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 249 

" And after him? " 

" They are all alike to me," replied Eoghan. 

" They shall have united love," said the man 
of God. 

" My blessing," he prayed, " on the descend- 
ants of Eoghan till the day of judgment. . . . 
The race of Eoghan, son of Niall, bless, O fair 
Bridget ! Provided they do good, government 
shall be from them for ever. The blessing of 
us both upon Eoghan, son of Niall, and on 
all who may be born of him, if they are obe- 
dient." 28 

St. Patrick, it is told, had a favorite goat which 
was so well trained that it proved very serviceable. 
But a sly thief fixed his evil eye on the animal, 
stole it, and made a feast on the remains. The 
loss of the goat called for investigation; and the 
thief, on being accused, protested with an oath 
that he was innocent. But little did he dream of 
his accuser. " The goat which was swallowed in 
his stomach," says Jocelin, " bleated loudly forth, 
and proclaimed the merit of St. Patrick." Nor 
did the miracle stop here; for "at the sentence 
of the Saint all the man's posterity were marked 
with the beard of a goat." 29 

About ten years before his death the venerable 
Apostle resigned the primacy as Archbishop of 

2fl " Tripartite Life," part ii. 

29 " Life and Acts of St Patrick," chap, xlviii. 



250 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Armagh to his loved disciple, St. Benignus, 30 and 
retired to Saul, his favorite retreat, and the scene 
of his early triumphs. Here it was that he con- 
verted Dicho and built his first church. Here 
also he wrote his " Confessions," and drew up 
rules for the government of the Irish Church. 
When he felt that the sun of dear life was about 
to set on earth, that it might rise in brighter skies, 
and shine for ever, he asked to be taken to Ar- 
magh. He wished to breathe his last in the eccle- 
siastical capital of Ireland. But on the way an 
angel appeared to the blessed man, and told him 
to return — that he was to die at Saul. He re- 
turned, and at the age of seventy-eight, on the 
17th of March, in the year 465, St. Patrick pass- 
ed from this world. 

He was buried at Downpatrick, in the county of 
Down ; and in the same tomb were subsequently 
laid the sacred remains of St. Bridget and St. 

30 St. Benignus was of the race of the Cianachta — O'Connors 
or O'Kanes ? — of Glen Gemhin, in the county of Derry. His 
parents, however, resided near the site of the present town of 
Drogheda ; and when St. Patrick came that way he passed the 
night at their hospitable residence. Benignus, then a mere boy f 
grew intensely fond of the Saint. He was baptized, and followed 
the Apostle of Ireland until he became his immediate successor 
as Archbishop of Armagh. St. Patrick has had one hundred and 
eight successors in the See of Armagh. Those of the present 
century are : Richard 0' ' Reilly, Patrick Curtis, Thomas Kelly , 
William Croily, Paul Culleti, Joseph Dixon, Michael Kieran, and 
Daniel MacGettigan. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 251 

Columbkille. The shrine of the Apostle of Ire- 
land was visited by Cambrensis in 11 74, and upon 
it he found the following Latin inscription : 

Hi tres Duno tumulo tuviulantur in uno, 
Brigida, Patricius, atque Columba Pius. 

In Down three Saints one grave do fill, 
Bridget, Patrick, and Columbkille. 31 

31 The shrine of St. Patrick, enriched by many precious offer- 
ings, was destroyed in the general profanation under Henry VIII. 
" I had a very pleasant ride to Downpatrick," says Rev. Dr. Ve- 
tromile, " where I went to see the church built by St. Patrick, for 
which I paid a shilling to the woman who kept the key. The church 
is Gothic, and has been nearly rebuilt by the Episcopalians. I 
asked the woman — a Protestant — if St. Patrick was a Protestant. 
She answered, 'No — a Catholic' ' How, then, is it,' said I, 'that 
the church is in the hands of Protestants?' ' They took it from 
the Catholics,' she replied. 'Then,' I said, 'it should be given 
back to the Catholics.' ' If they fight for it they will get it,' she 
answered. The inside of the church is plain. I saw the place 
where the altar must have stood, the pulpit, etc. Then I went to 
see St. Patrick's grave, which is close to the church in the ceme- 
tery, now used by Protestants. There is nothing to distinguish 
the grave of Ireland's Apostle. It is only a mound without head- 
stone or inscription, not so much as a cross ; yet everybody knows 
it, and the path leading to it from the road is kept smooth by the 
frequent visits of the Irish, who go thither to pray ; and there is 
a cavity over the grave made by the Irish taking away, in their 
devotion, the earth for a memento. I could not but think what a 
magnificent monument they would build up on the grave of their 
Apostle, were they but allowed to do so. Still, though St. Pat- 
rick's grave has no sign to mark it, after the lapse of nearly fifteen 
centuries, many of them passed in bitter persecution, in a part of 
Ireland inhabited by Orangemen, every one in Downpatrick, and 



252 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

This illustrious Saint was a man of work, and 
prayer, and penance. To his last breath he ceased 
not to teach his people. His daily devotions were 
countless. It is related that he made the sign of 
the cross many hundred times a day. He slept 
little, and a stone was his pillow. He travelled 
on foot in his visitations till the weight of years 
made a carriage necessary. He accepted no gifts 
for himself, ever deeming it more blessed to give 
than to receive. 

His simple dress was a white monastic habit, 
made from the wool of the sheep ; and his bear- 
ing, speech, and countenance were but the out- 
ward expression of his kind heart and great, 
beautiful soul. Force and simplicity marked his 
discourses. He was a perfect master of the Irish, 
French, and Latin languages, and had some know- 
ledge of Greek. 

He consecrated three hundred and fifty bish- 
ops, 32 erected seven hundred churches, ordained 
five thousand priests, and raised thirty-three per- 

thousands elsewhere, can point out the spot. It is shown from 
generation to generation by tradition, and herein Protestants have 
before their eyes a certain proof of the truth and reliability of 
tradition." — Travels in Europe. 

32 Bishops were far more numerous then than now, but the rea- 
son is obvious. In an age when communication between one 
part of the country and another was difficult and often impossible 
for a considerable period of time, it was necessary that there should 
be bishops in every locality. — Suter M. F. Clare. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints 253 

sons from the dead. But it is in vain that we try 
to sum up the labors of the Saint by the rules of 
arithmetic. The wear and tear of over fourteen 
hundred years have tested the work of St. Patrick : 
and in spite of all the changes of time, and the 
malice of men and demons, it stands to-day greater 
than ever — a monument to his immortal glory. 33 

" It should ever be remembered," says the Nun 
of Kenmare, " that the exterior work of a saint is 
but a small portion of his real life, and that the 
success of this work is connected by a delicate 
chain of providences, of which the world sees 

33 After the Most Blessed Virgin, there is, perhaps, no saint in 
the calendar who has been chosen patron of so many churches in 
our country as has St. Patrick. The cathedrals of Erie, Newark, 
Rochester, Harrisburg, and New York bear his noble name ; and 
there is scarcely a town or city from Maine to California that has 
not its St. Patrick's Church. The greatest and most beautiful 
church in the New World is St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York. 
The style of architecture is the pure Gothic that prevailed in 
Europe in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In 1858 the 
corner-stone was laid by Archbishop Hughes. The foundation is 
of immense granite blocks ; and all above the base course con- 
sists of fine white marble. The extreme length is 332 feet, extreme 
breadth, 174 feet. The two massive towers will each be 328 feet 
high. This magnificent edifice was dedicated to divine worship 
in May, 1879. The ceremony was grand and impressive. Among 
the many distinguished dignitaries who participated therein were 
His Eminence Cardinal McCloskey, Archbishop Gibbons of Bal- 
timore, and Archbishop Purcell of Cincinnati. The sermon — a 
noble effort — was delivered by Bishop Ryan, Coadjutor of St. 
Louis. 



254 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

little and thinks less, with this interior life. Men 
are ever searching for the beautiful in nature and 
art, but they rarely search for the beauty of a 
human soul, yet this beauty is immortal. Some- 
thing of its radiance appears at times even to 
mortal sight, and men are overawed by the ma- 
jesty or won by the sweetness of the saints of 
God; but it needs saintliness to discern sanctity, 
even as it needs cultivated taste to appreciate art 
A thing of beauty is only a joy to those who can 
discern its beauty; and it needs the sigh! of an- 
gels to see and appreciate perfectly all the beauty 
of a saintly soul. Thus, while some men scorn as 
idle tales the miracles recorded in the Lives of 
the Saints, and others give scant and condescend- 
ing praise to their exterior works of charity, their 
real life, their true nobility is hidden and unknown. 
God and the angels only know the trials and the 
triumphs of holy human souls." 



THE HOLY PATRONESS OF IRELAND. 
DIED A.D. 523. 




" Bridget, enthroned in heaven above, 
Look on thy children dear ; 
And help them to eternal life, 
In God's most holy fear." 

T. BRIDGET, 1 the holy Patroness of Ire- 
land, was born at Faughart, 2 a village in 
the present county of Louth, soon after 
the light of faith began to illumine her lovely na- 
tive isle. Her parents were Catholics and per- 
sons of rank. 3 

1 Bridget is from the Irish, and signifies strength. The name is 
sometimes written Brigit and Bride. 

2 Faughart is in no way remarkable except as the birthplace of 
the Saint. It is near the town of Dundalk. The ruins of St. 
Bridget's old church are still here. The situation is very pictu- 
resque, looking out on the bay of Dundalk, the scene of many 
a notable event in Irish history. — Sister Ctisack, Life of St. 
Bridget. 

3 Her mother, Broeseach, was an O'Connor, and was of noble 
birth ; both her parents were Christians. — Sister Ctisack. 

255 



256 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Bridget's early life was surrounded by the su- 
pernatural. It is said that, when a child, angels 
were her constant companions, and even aided 
her in erecting a little altar, at which she amused 
herself. On reaching girlhood, whatever she 
touched or had charge of in the way of food 
multiplied under her hand. Once when her old 
nurse was suffering from a burning fever the fair 
young Saint cured her by making the sign of the 
cross on some water, which was turned into 
mead — then the common drink of the country. 

She resolved to consecrate her virginity to 
heaven, but met with much trouble on account of 
her rare beauty and the opposition of her parents. 
Many sought her hand. But finding that the 
eagerness of a multitude of suitors might, per- 
haps, hinder her from devoting herself entirely 
to God, she prayed that her beauty might be 
changed to ugliness. Her prayer was heard. 
One of her eyes became greatly enlarged, and 
her angelic face so altered that both parents 
and suitors soon left her free to embrace the reli- 
gious state. 

Taking with her seven young ladies, Bridget 
went to Bishop Maccelle, 4 a disciple of St. Pat- 
rick, and requested him to give them the veil. 

4 The celebrated Archbishop MacHale is directly descended 
from Bishop Maccelle, who received the profession of St. Bridget. 
— Sister M. F. Cusack, Life of Daniel O'Connell. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 257 

He hesitated for a time, but the lovely Saint re- 
doubled her prayers. At length, seeing a pillar 
of fire over her head, he clothed her in the mantle 
of religion, and received her profession and that 
of her fair companions. 

During the ceremony, as Bridget bent her head 
to receive the holy veil, she placed her hand on 
the wooden altar-step ; and in a moment the dry 
wood became green and fresh, her eye was cured, 
and all the radiance of her former beauty re- 
turned. 

On one occasion, as the Saint and her nuns 
were enjoying the hospitality of good Bishop 
Maccelle, she begged him to give^them some 
spiritual instruction. He complied in a short dis- 
course on the Eight Beatitudes. When he con- 
cluded she turned to her Sisters and said : " We 
are eight virgins, and eight virtues are offered to 
us as a means of sanctification. It is true that 
whoever practises one virtue perfectly must pos- 
sess every other ; yet let each of us now choose 
a virtue for special devotion." 

The Sisters, through courtesy and respect, re- 
quested St. Bridget, as superioress, to take the 
first choice. She at once took the beatitude of 
" Mercy " as the beautiful virtue to which she 
especially wished to devote herself. It was, in 
truth, a happy choice — one in which she has had 
many followers in " the Isle of Saints and Sages." 



258 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Of the many convents founded by this illus- 
trious lady Kildare became the most renowned. 
" As it was erected under the shelter of the oak," 
writes the Nun of Kenmare, "it obtained the name 
of Cell of the Oak, or Kildare. The great plain 
of the Curragh was her pasture-ground, donated 
to her by some famous chief. Bishop Mel assist- 
ed her in her arrangements, and Ailill, the King 
of Leinster, gave her the wood for her building. 
This establishment was erected some time be- 
tween the years 480 and 490." 6 

St. Bridget's whole life was love in action. 
The wants of others touched her pure, noble, and 
affectionate heart. A good mother once brought 
her little daughter to see the Saint. The girl 
was about twelve years of age, and had been born 
dumb. Not knowing her infirmity, however, the 
Abbess caressed her, asking her if she intended to 
be a nun. There was no reply. The mother ex- 
plained her child's condition ; but St. Bridget re- 
marked that she could not let the girl's hand go 
until she received an answer. She repeated the 
question. " I will do whatever you desire," said 
the child, who, thus wonderfully cured, remained 
with her dear benefactress ever after. 

6 The little conventual building in Kildare was soon sur- 
rounded by a great city. We have said little, for such it was in 
its first beginnings, but it soon became a vast building and con- 
tained many hundred inhabitants. — Nun of Kenmare. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 259 

The holy Abbess took the most tender care of 
her religious. One of the Sisters was very ill 
and asked for some milk. But there was none. 
The Saint, however, ordered some water to be 
given to the patient. It was suddenly changed 
into rich, warm milk, and the miraculous draught 
cured the sick Sister. 

During one of her journeys a man came to her 
and related his domestic troubles. His wife, he 
said, hated him for some unknown reason, and 
peace had fled from his home. The Saint gave 
the poor fellow some water, directing him to 
sprinkle it through the house in his wife's ab- 
sence. He did so, and his wife's dislike was turn- 
ed into the most tender affection — an affection 
that lasted for life. 

On one occasion a leper came to the convent 
and asked to have his clothes washed ; but as he 
was only master of what was on his back, it be- 
came necessary to provide him with clothing 
while this act of charity was in the course of ac- 
complishment. St. Bridget desired one of her 
nuns to give the afflicted son of Adam a second 
habit which she did not use. But the nun was 
unwilling to obey, and as a swift punishment she 
was then and there struck with leprosy. At the 
end of an hour, however, she repented of her dis- 
obedience, and was cured by the intercession of 
the tender- hearted Saint. 



260 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Another nun, happy in possessing the true spirit 
of obedience, provided the leper with clothing ; 
and when his tattered rags were washed and re- 
turned to him he was healed of his terrible dis- 
ease. " Thus," exclaims the Nun of Kenmare, 
from whose excellent work 6 we have gathered 
these details — " thus was God glorified ; for the 
miracles of the saints are not for their own 
glory." 

" Her only thought was heaven and God, 
Her only joy was pure ; 
She sought bright mansions in the skies, 
And life for e'er secure." 

Our Saint enjoyed the most intimate friendship 
of St. Patrick. She foretold the date of his de- 
parture from this world, was present at his holy 
death, and supplied the winding-sheet — which 
she had long kept for the purpose — in which his 
blessed remains were wrapped. 

One of the most touching and beautiful inci- 
dents in the life of St. Bridget was her meeting 
with the young student, Nenedius. As she was 
leaving her convent on the plains of the Liffey, 
she met him running along with boyish impetu- 
osity. The holy Abbess requested one of her re- 
ligious to call him to her ; but Nenedius was in 
such a hurry that he could scarcely be prevailed 
upon to stay a moment. 

6 "Life of St. Bridget." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 261 

The Saint enquired why he ran with such 
speed. " I am running to heaven," answered the 
boy. 

" Would to God," said Bridget, " that I were 
worthy to run with you to that blessed place! 
Pray for me that I may one day enter there." 

"O holy Virgin!" exclaimed Nenedius, "pray 
for me that I may persevere in the path that leads 
to heaven." 

And the Saint prayed for the dear boy, telling 
him, in prophetic language, that on the day of her 
death she would receive the Holy Viaticum from 
his hands. 

St. Nenedius — for he became a saint — took the 
most special care of that hand which would one 
day be so honored ; and in the kindness and hu- 
mility of his heart, which ardently hoped that the 
life of St. Bridget would be prolonged to extreme 
old age, he allowed many years to roll away be- 
fore he was ordained priest. He left Ireland and 
wandered as a pilgrim in other countries. But 
at length he was raised to the sacred dignity of 
the priesthood, turned his steps homewards, and 
as he reached the shores of his native isle he was 
called to the bedside of Ireland's holy Patroness. 
She was preparing for heaven* Nenedius ad- 
ministered the Holy Sacraments to the dying 
Saint, and on the 1st of February, in the year 



262 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

523, St. Bridget, borne by angels, passed to the 
bosom of God. 7 

7 St. Columbkille wrote a poem in praise of St. Bridget. Its 
first stanza may be rendered : 

" Bridget, the good and the virgin, 
Bridget, dear lady without sin, 
Bridget, the bright and God-given, 
May she lead us to beautiful heaven." 

There are churches dedicated to divine worship under the 
patronage of St. Bridget in Buffalo, Rochester, Pittsburgh, Cleve- 
land, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis, New York, and 
countless other places in our country. 



THE APOSTLE OF CALEDONIA. 
DIED A.D. 597. 




|T. COLUMBKILLE, 1 whose glory is em- 
balmed in legend and history, was born 
at Gartan, in the county of Donegal, Ire- 
land, on December 7, A.D. 52 1. 2 His father was 
descended from the famous King Niall of the 
Nine Hostages, 3 supreme monarch of Ireland at 
the close of the fourth century. Before the child's 
birth his mother, who also belonged to a distin- 
guished Irish family, had a dream which posterity 

1 Columbkille signifies dove of the cell. The name is often 
written Columba. 

2 The birth of our Saint was foretold by St. Patrick. In bless- 
ing Fergus, son of Niall, he said, referring to Columbkille : 

"A youth shall be born of your race, 
Who will be a sage, prophet, and poet — 
A glorious, bright, clear light, 
Who will not utter falsehood." 

— Tripartite Life of St. Patrick. 

3 So named because of the hostages taken from nine powers, 
which he subdued and made tributary. 

263 



264 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

has accepted as a graceful and poetical symbol of 
her son's career. 

An angel appeared to the lady, bringing her a 
veil covered with flowers of rare beauty and won- 
derful variety of colors; but all at once she saw 
it carried away by the wind, and rolling out as it 
fled over plain and wood and mountain. 

"Woman," said the bright spirit, "you are 
about to become the mother of a son who will 
blossom for heaven, who will be reckoned among 
the prophets of God, and who will lead number- 
less souls to the celestial country." 

St. Bute, one of those holy monks whose lives 
light up the pages of Erin's ancient history, died 
on the day of Columbkille's birth. He spoke of 
the event. "To-day," said the departing old 
saint, " a child is born, whose name is Columb- 
kille. He shall be glorious in the sight of God 
and men." 

The good priest who baptized the child was his 
first instructor. It is recounted that from his 
earliest years Columbkille was accustomed to 
heavenly visions. Often, when his guardian an- 
gel appeared to him, the happy boy would ask if 
all the angels in heaven were as young and shin- 
ing as he. 

Later on the same sweet spirit invited him to 
choose among all the virtues those which he 
would like best to possess. " I choose," said the 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 265 

youth, " chastity and wisdom." And immediately 
three young girls of dazzling beauty appeared 
and threw themselves on his neck, embracing 
him. The pious youth frowned and repulsed 
them with indignation. 

"What!" they exclaimed, "do you, then, not 
know us?" 

" No," he replied, " not the least in the world." 

" We are three sisters," said the lovely visitors, 
" whom our Father betroths to you." 

"Who is your Father?" enquired Columbkille. 

"Our Father," they gracefully answered, "is 
God." 

" Ah ! " said he, " you have indeed an illustrious 
Father. But what are your names? " 

"Our names," replied the sisters, "are Vir- 
ginity, Wisdom, and Prophecy. We come to 
leave you no more, but to love you with a love 
pure and everlasting." 

Columbkille passed into the great monastic 
schools, which were nurseries not only for the 
clergy of Ireland, but also for young laymen of 
all conditions. Here manual labor was joined to 
study and prayer. Like all his young compan- 
ions, he had to grind over night the corn for the 
next day's food ; but when his turn came the 
work was so well and quickly done that his com- 
panions suspected him of having been assisted by 
an angel. On completing his course of studies 



266 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

and monastic training he was ordained priest by 
his reverend master, the Abbot St. Finnian, 
founder of the renowned monastic school of 
Clonard. 

A remarkable incident is related of the royal 
Saint's student career at Clonard, when he was 
only a deacon. A famous old bard named Gem- 
man came to live near the monastery. Columb- 
kille, who was at all times in life a poet and 
passionate admirer of Irish poetry, determined to 
join the bard's school, and to share his labors and 
his studies. One day the two were reading to- 
gether, at a little distance apart, out of doors. A 
young girl ran toward them, pursued by a rob- 
ber. She hoped, no doubt, to find safety in the 
authority of the venerable bard. Scarcely, how- 
ever, had the poor girl reached the spot than her 
hard-hearted pursuer, running up, struck her with 
his lance, and she fell mortally wounded. 

Gemman called to his pupil for assistance. 
" How lon^\" he exclaimed in accents of horror, 
"shall God leave unpunished this crime which 
dishonors us? " 

" Only for this moment," replied the indignant 
young monk. "At this very hour, as the soul 
of this innocent creature ascends to heaven, the 
soul of the murderer shall go down to hell!" 
The words were hardly uttered when the wretch- 
ed assassin fell dead. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 267 

Soon, far and wide, Columbkille's name became 
famous. As he was closely allied to the reigning 
monarch of all Ireland, and, indeed, eligible him- 
self to the same high office, it was very natural 
that his influence increased with his years. 4 Be- 
fore reaching the age of twenty -five he had pre- 
sided over the erection of a crowd of monasteries. 
As many as thirty-five in Ireland honored him as 
the founder. Of these the chief were Derry and 
Durrow. 

The young Columbkille was especially attached 
to Derry, where he habitually lived. He super- 
intended with care not only the discipline and 
studies of his community, but also external mat- 
ters — even so far as to watch over the preserva- 
tion of the neighboring forest. He would never 
permit an oak to be cut down. Those that fell 
by natural decay, or were struck down by the 
wind, were alone made use of for the fire which 
was lighted on the arrival of strangers, or distri- 
buted to the neighboring poor. The poor had a 
first right in Ireland — as everywhere else — to the 
goods of the monks ; and the monastery of Derry 

4 In the MS. life of St. Columbkille by O'Donnell it is asserted 
that the Saint in the year 544, being a prince of the royal family, 
was offered the crown of Ireland, and that Dermod MacCerball, 
his competitor, succeeded only because our holy abbot preferred 
the cowl to a diadem. — Butler. 

This was two years before he was ordained priest. 



268 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

fed a hundred applicants every day with the most 
careful regularity. 5 

Derry was the spot that Columbkille loved best. 
In the poem attributed to his old age he says so 
touchingly : 

" Were all the tribute of Scotia mine, 
From its midland to its borders, 
I would give all for one little cell 
In my beautiful Derry. 

" For its peace and for its purity, 
For the white angels that go 
In crowds from one end to the other, 
I love my beautiful Derry." 

Columbkille, it may be noted, was as much a 

6 The Saint fed a hundred men daily, but his steward, or dis- 
penser, did not quite appreciate the liberality of his master. He 
had a fixed time for giving \\\z dole of food, and any one who 
came late was peremptorily dismissed. A poor man came one 
day late, and was, as usual, sent away. The next day he came in 
time, but was told there was nothing for him. For many days 
he came, but each time he met with some repulse. He then sent 
a message to Columba to tell him that he advised him for the 
future to put no limit to his charity while he had alms to give, 
except what God set on the number of those who came for it. 
Columba was struck by the message, and came down to the gate 
of the monastery, not waiting even to put on his cloak. He has- 
tened after the beggar ; but when he had gone some distance he 
found not the poor man, but Christ, who had taken the form of 
a beggar. Then, as he fell down and adored his Lord, he ob- 
tained from Him a royal alms — new lights, new graces, new and 
yet more wonderful powers of miracle and prophecy. — Sister 
Cusack, Life of St, C lumba. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 269 

bard as a monk during the first part of his life ; 
and he had the roving, ardent, and somewhat 
quarrelsome character of the race. He had a 
passion for travelling, but a still greater one for 
books. It must be said, in truth, that his intense 
love of books brought him into more than one 
misadventure. The poet-monk went everywhere 
in search of rare works, which he would borrow 
or copy; but occasionally he met with refusals, 
which he sharply resented. 

At the time of which we write there was in 
Ossory a holy recluse, very learned doctor in 
laws and philosophy, named Longarad. Co- 
lumbkille paid him a visit and asked leave to 
examine his books. The uncourteous old scholar 
gave a direct refusal. Columbkille was indig- 
nant. 

" May your books," he said, " no longer do you 
any good — neither you nor those who come after 
you — since you have taken occasion by them to 
show your inhospitality." The curse was heard,, 
according to the legend. As soon as Longarad 
died his books became unintelligible. " They 
still exist," wrote an author of the ninth century,. 
" but no man can read them." 

But another event in the career of our Saint 
leads us to that turning-point in life which for 
ever changed his destiny and transformed hims 
from a wandering poet-monk and ardent student 



270 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

into a glorious missionary. While visiting his 
old master, the Abbot Finnian, Columbkille found 
means to make a secret and hurried copy of the 
abbot's Psalter by shutting himself up at night 
in the church where it was deposited, and illumi- 
nating his work by the light which escaped from 
his left hand while he wrote with the right. 

Finnian, however, discovered what was going 
on by means of a curious wanderer, who, attract- 
ed by the singular light, looked in through the 
keyhole. But the poor fellow's curiosity met 
with swift punishment. While his face was 
pressed against the door he had his eye sud- 
denly plucked out by a crane, one of those fami- 
liar birds that were permitted by the Irish monks 
to seek a home in their churches. 

The abbot, for some reason or other, was much 
displeased, and declared that Columbkille had 
taken an unwarranted liberty with his book. He 
even claimed the copy when it was finished, on 
the ground that a copy made without permission 
ought to belong to the owner of the original. 
But the poet-monk refused to give up his work, 
and the question was referred to the king at 
Tara. 

King Diarmid, at that time supreme monarch 
of Ireland, was related to Columbkille, but he 
pronounced against his kinsman. Diarmid's de- 
cision was given in a rustic phrase which has be- 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 271 

come a proverb in Ireland : " To every cow its 
calf, and, therefore, to every book its copy." 6 

Columbkille vigorously protested. " It is an 
unjust sentence,'' he exclaimed with indignation. 
All parties were hot and prepared for an open 
rupture. The occasion soon came. A young 
prince, son of the king of Connaught and a hos 
tage at Tara, had a dispute, during a game of 
hurling, with the son of one of Diarmid's officers. 
It ended in a quarrel, and the prince killed the 
youth by striking him with his hurley. He fled 
at once for sanctuary to our Saint, who was stand- 
ing in the king's presence. 

But King Diarmid — contrary to all precedent 
■ — refused to respect the undoubted right of Co- 
lumbkille to protect his client, and he ordered the 
unhappy prince to be torn from the very arms of 
his protector and immediately executed. 

The noble, fiery nature of the Saint revolted at 
this last outrage. " I will denounce your wicked 
judgment to my family and my friends," said he 
to the king, " and the violation in my person of 
the immunity of the Church. My complaint shall 
be heard and you will be swiftly punished. No 
longer shall you see my face in your province 
until the Almighty Judge has subdued your piti- 
able pride. And as you have humbled me to-day 

8 " Le gach boin a boinin, le gach leabhar a leabhran" 



272 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

before your friends and nobles, God will humble 
you on the battle-day before your enemies ! " 

Diarmid attempted to retain him by force, but, 
evading his guards, the poet-monk escaped by 
night from Tara and hastily directed his steps to 
his native Tyrconnell. As he pushed along on his 
lonely way his agitated soul found utterance in 
the " Song of Trust " : 7 

" Alone am I upon the mountain. 

God of Heaven ! prosper my way, 
And I shall pass more free and fearless 
Than if six thousand were my stay. 
My flesh, indeed, might be defended, 
But when the time comes life is ended. 
If by six thousand I was guarded, 

Or placed on an islet in a lake, 
Or in a fortress strong protected, 
Or in a church my refuge take, 
Still God will guard His own with care, 
And even in battle safe they fare. 
No man can slay me till the day 
When God shall take my life away ; 
And when my earthly time is ended 

1 die — no matter how defended." 8 

7 The " Song of Trust" may be reckoned among the most au- 
thentic relics of the ancient Irish tongue. — Montalembert. 

b St. Columbkille was the author of many hymns and poems, 
both in Irish and L<tin. See " The Prose and Poetry of Ireland," 
pp. 25-38, and the " Life of St. Columba," by Sister M. F. Clare. 
One of his celebrated Latin hymns is the Aitus. The follow- 
ing is the first stanza as translated by the Nun of Kenmare : 
•' Ancient of days, 
Father most high, 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 273 

Columbkille arrived safely in his native pro- 
vince. His words, like a trumpet-blast, aroused 

Who art and shall be 
As the ages go by, 
With Christ and the Spirit, 
In glory supernal, 
Who art God evermore, 
Unbegotten, eternal; 
We preach not three Gods, 
But the unity, One, 
The Father, the Spirit, 
And co-equal Son." 

The Noli, Pater is also a famous Latin hymn from the gifted 
pen of our Saint. Colgan says that two graces are believed to be 
granted to the recital of this hymn : (i) that those who recite it 
should be preserved from the effects of thunder and lightning ; 
(2) that those who recite it at night before going to rest and in 
the morning when they arise shall be preserved from all ad- 
versity. 

THE NOLI, PATER. 

" Father, keep under 
The tempest and thunder, 
Lest we should be shattered, 
By Thy lightning's shafts scattered. 
Thy terrors while hearing, 
We listen, still fearing, 
The resonant song 
Of the bright angel throng, 
As they wander and praise Thee, 
Shouts of honor still raise Thee. 

To the King ruling right, 
Jesus, lover and light, 



274 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

the powerful clans of Ulster ; nor was it hard to 
procure the aid of the king of Connaught, the 
father of the executed young prince. The com- 
bined forces marched against Diarmid, who met 
them at Cul-Dreimhne. 9 The battle was short. 
Diarmid's army was routed, and he fled, taking re- 
fuge at Tara. According to the historian Tigher- 
nach, the victory was due to the prayers and 
hymns of Columbkille, who for days had fasted 
and appealed to heaven for the punishment of 
royal insolence. 

" As to the manuscript," says Montalembert, 
" which had been the object of this strange con- 
flict of copyright elevated into a civil war, it was 
afterwards venerated as a kind of national, mili- 

As with wine and clear mead, 

Filled with God's grace indeed, 

Precursor John Baptist's words 

Told of the coming Lord, 

Whom, blessed for evermore, 

All men should bow before. 

Zacharias, Elizabeth, 

This Saint begot. 
May the fire of Thy love live in my heart yet 
As jewels of gold in a silver vase set," 

— Nun of Kenmare's translation. 

9 Cul-Dreimhne is north of the town of Sligo. The " Annals of 
the Four Masters " state that " three thousand was the number 
that fell of Diarmid's people. Only one man fell on the other 
side." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 275 

tary, and religious palladium. Under the name 
of Cathac, or Fighter, the Latin Psalter transcribed 
by Columbkille, and enshrined in a kind of porta- 
ble altar, became the national relic of the O'Don- 
nell clan. For more than a thousand years it was 
carried before them to battle as a pledge of vic- 
tory, on the condition of being supported upon the 
breast of a cleric free from all mortal sin. It has 
escaped as by miracle from the ravages of which 
Ireland has been the victim, and still exists, to the 
great joy of all learned Irish patriots." 10 

Columbkille was victorious ; but victory is not 
always peace. He soon felt the double reaction 
of personal remorse and the condemnation of 
many pious souls. In the Synod of Teilte, held 
in 562, he was accused of having occasioned the 
shedding of Christian blood. Though absent, he 
was excommunicated. But our poet-monk knew 
not that timidity which draws back before accu- 
sers or judges. He suddenly presented himself 
to the synod, which had struck without hearing 
him. Nor did he fail to find a defender in that 
assembly. 

When Columbkille made his appearance the 
famous Abbot Brendan arose, met, and embraced 

10 This precious relic is now preserved in the museum of the 
Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. For a minute description of it 
see O'Curry's "Lectures on the MS. Materials of Ancient Irish 
History," p. 327. 



276 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

him. " How can you," exclaimed the members 
of the synod, " give the kiss of peace to an ex- 
communicated mati ? " 

" You would do as I have done," answered the 
noble Brendan, " and you would never have ex- 
communicated him, had you seen what I see — a 
pillar of fire which goes before him, and the an- 
gels that are his companions. I dare not distain 
a man predestined by God to be the guide of an 
entire people to eternal life." 

The synod gracefully withdrew the sentence of 
excommunication, but Columbkille was charged 
to win to Christ, by his preaching, as many pa- 
gan souls as the number of Christians who had 
fallen in the battle that he had occasioned. 

The soul of the Saint was troubled. The voice 
of an accusing conscience touched his manly 
heart. He wandered from solitude to solitude, 
from monastery to monastery, seeking masters of 
Christian virtue, and asking them anxiously what 
he should do to obtain the full pardon of God for 
the blood of those who had fallen on the field of 
Cul-Dreimhne. At length he found a holy monk 
named Abban, to whorn he poured out the trou- 
bles of his sad soul. To Columbkille's earnest 
enquiries Abban assured him that those killed in 
the battle enjoyed eternal repose; and, as his 
soul-friend, or confessor, he condemned him to 
perpetual exile from Ireland. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 277 

It is now that the second and grandest part of 
the Saint's life commences. He took a loving 
leave of his warlike kindred, to whom he was in- 
tensely attached, and directed his course towards 
Scotland. The new scene of his toils was to be 
among its pagan inhabitants. Twelve of his de- 
voted monks accompanied him ; and thus, at the 
age of forty-two, Columbkille bade a last farewell 
to his native land. 

The bark of the holy exiles of Erin put in at 
that little isle which our Saint immortalized, and 
which took from him the name I-Colm-Kill, now, 
perhaps, better known as Iona. xx On that small 
spot, surrounded by foaming, sombre seas, over- 
shadowed by the bare and lofty peaks of other 
islands, and with a wild, romantic scenery greet- 
ing the eye in the far-off distance, Columbkille, 
poet, prince, monk, and missionary, founded the 
first monastery in Scotland, and began the gigan- 
tic labors of a new life more than heroic, more 
than apostolic. Over thirteen hundred years 
ago this became the monastic capital and centre 
of faith, learning, and Christian civilization in 
North Britain. 

In the midst of his community the Saint in- 

11 Iona is only three miles in length by two in. breadth, flat and 
low, bordered by gray rocks which scarcely rise above the level 
of the sea. Its highest hill is only 320 feet above the ocean. — 
Montalembe. t. 



278 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

habited, instead of a cell, a sort of hut built of 
planks and placed upon the most elevated spot 
within the monastic enclosure. Up to the age 
of seventy-six he slept there upon the hard floor 
with a stone for his pillow. 

This hut was at once his study and his oratory. 
It was there that he gave himself up to those pro- 
longed prayers which excited the admiration, and 
almost the alarm, of his disciples. It was there 
that the princely Abbot retired after sharing the 
outdoor labor of his monks, like the least among 
them, to consecrate the rest of his time to the 
study of Holy Scripture and the transcription of 
the sacred text. 12 

It was in the same hut that he received with un- 
wearied patience and gentle courtesy the hundreds 
of visitors of high and low degree who flocked 
to see him. Sometimes, however, he was obliged 
to complain mildly, as of that indiscreet stranger 
who, desirous of embracing him, awkwardly over- 
turned his ink on the border of his robe. 

But who shall describe his labors as a great 
missionary? For over a third of a century he 

12 For Columbkille the work of transcription remained until 
his last day the occupation of his old age, as it had been the pas- 
sion of his youth. It had such an attraction for him, and seemed 
to him so essential to a knowledge of the truth, that three hundred 
copies of the Holy Gospel, written by his own hand, have been 
ascribed to him. — Montalembert, Monks of the We t, vol. ii. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 279 

traversed the wild regions of Caledonia — regions 
hitherto inaccessible even to the Roman eagle. 
At his preaching and miracles the fierce pagan 
Picts 13 bowed beneath the cross. 

Skimming Loch Ness with his little skiff, the 
Saint soon penetrated to the chief fortress of the 
Pictish king, the site of which is still shown upon 
a rock north of the town of Inverness. Brude 
was the name of the hardy and powerful ruler. 
At first he refused to receive the Catholic mis- 
sionary, and gave orders that the gates of the 

13 Butler ("Lives of the Saints," vol. vi.) thinks that the Picts 
were the original inhabitants of Scotland. Bede (" Eccles. 
Hist") tells us that they spoke a language different from their 
Celtic neighbors The original Scots were an Irish colony that 
conquered a portion of Caledonia and settled there. Ireland, it 
must be remembered, was called Scotia in early ages, and its 
inhabitants Scots. King Niall of the Nine Hostages, monarch of 
Ireland, was the first that gave the name of Scotia Minor, or "Lit- 
tle Scotia," to Scotland. Before tbat "Scotland" went by the 
name of Alba. The Scots (or Irish) and the Picts lived as good 
neighbors till about the year 840, when Kenneth II.. King of the 
Scots, defeated the Picts. About the year goo the Scots became 
masters of the rest of the country, and from that time all North 
Britain took the name of Scotland, or land of the Scots. At a 
somewhat later period Ireland gradually lost the name of Scotia, 
which was thus wholly transferred to the neighboring country 
that she had conquered and colonized. Such, in brief, was the 
origin of the name Scotland. Nearly all the great old Scottish 
families — as the MacDonalds, Campbells, Murrays, etc. — are 
lineal descendants of the ancient Irish that colonized and became 
masters of North Britain. 



280 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

fortress should be closed on the unwelcome 
visitors. 

But the dauntless Columbkille was not alarmed. 
" He went up to the gateway," says Montalem- 
bert, "made the sign of the cross upon the two 
gates, and then knocked with his hand. Imme- 
diately the bars and bolts drew back, the gates 
rolled upon their hinges and were thrown wide 
open, and the Saint entered like a conqueror. 
The king, though surrounded by his council, was 
struck with panic; he hastened to meet the mis- 
sionary, addressed to him pacific and encouraging 
words, and from that moment gave him every 
honor." Thus obstacles vanished at the very 
glance of the illustrious Irish Abbot. 

He accomplished the conversion of the entire 
Pictish nation, and destroyed for ever the autho- 
rity of the Druids in that last refuge of Celtic 
paganism. Before he closed his glorious career 
he had sown their forests, their defiles, their in- 
accessible mountains, their savage moors and 
scarcely-inhabited islands with churches, schools, 
and monasteries. Out of the man}- monasteries 
which he founded in Scotland — over which Pro- 
testantism afterwards passed its devastating hand 
— the remains of fifty-three are to be seen to this 
day. 

No pen can describe the great, gentle, loving 
heart of Columbkille. It is told that a poor man 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 281 

once sheltered him under his roof for the night. 
In the morning the Saint enquired what worldly 
goods his host possessed. He was informed that 
the whole capital was five cows, poor and small ; 
"but," added the man, "if you bless them they 
will increase." The Saint requested the cows to 
be driven into his presence. It was done. " Your 
cattle," said he, " will increase to one hundred 
and five, and you shall be blessed with many good 
children." It happened just as he predicted. 

One morning at Iona the Abbot hastily called 
a monk. He told him to prepare at once for 
a voyage to Ireland. A good young lady named 
Mangina, he explained, had fallen in returning from 
Mass and broken her thigh-bone. " She is now," 
said he, " calling on me earnestly, hoping that she 
may receive some consolation from the Lord." 

He then gave the monk a piece of blessed bread 
in a little casket of pine wood, and ordered him to 
have it dipped in water, and to let the water be 
poured on the injured limb. All was done as 
commanded, and the injured member was instant- 
ly healed. On the cover of the casket the Saint 
wrote the words twenty-three years, and to a day 
Mangina lived twenty- three years after her cure. 

On another occasion he suddenly stopped while 
reading, and said with a smile to his monks : " I 
must now go and pray for a poor little woman 
who is in the pains of childbirth, and who suffers 



282 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

like a true daughter of Eve. She is down yonder 
in Ireland, and reckons upon my prayers ; for she 
is my cousin and of my mother's family." Where- 
upon the great priest hastened to the church, and 
when his prayer was ended returned to his spirit- 
ual sons, saying: "She is delivered. The Lord 
Jesus, who deigned to be born of a woman, has 
come to her aid, and this time she will not die." ,4 
Another incident is suggestive of Columbkille's 
great veneration for the sign of the cross. A cer- 
tain youth was carrying home a vessel of new 
milk, and on passing the door of the Abbot's little 

14 " Prophecies," as they are called, of St. Columbkille have 
been published at various times and places during this century. 
Thev are all silly fictions. No man who respects truth, the me- 
mory of the Saint, or his own intelligence, can give any credit to 
such vile forge+us. The pious and learned OCurry fully dis- 
cusses this subject in one of his matchless "Lectures." "It is 
remarkable," he says, in concluding, "that no reference to any 
of these long, circumstantially-defined prophecies can be found 
in any of the many ancient copies of the Saint's life which have 
come down to us ... I feel it to be a duty I owe to my coun- 
try, as well as to my creed as a Catholic, to express thus in pub- 
lic the disgust which I feel with every right-minded Irishman in 
witnessing the dishonest exertions of certain parties of late years 
in attempting, by various publications, to fasten these disgrace- 
ful forgeries on the credulity of honest and sincere Catholics as 
the undoubted^ inspired revelations of the andent saints of Erin 
... It is time that this kind of delusion should be put an end 
to. Our primitive saints never did, according to any reliable au- 
thority, pretend to foretell political events of remote occurrence." 
— Lectures on the MS. Materials of Ancient Irish History, p. 410. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 283 

cell, where, as usual, he was writing, he asked a 
blessing on his burden. But when the man of 
God made the sign of the cross, a strange commo- 
tion seemed to move the contents of the vessel ; 
the lid was suddenly flung off, and the greater 
part of the milk was scattered around. 

The youth laid down the pail, and, kneeling, he 
began to pray. The Saint, however, desired him 
to rise. " To-day you have acted unwisely," he 
said, " in not making the sign of the cross of our 
Lord on your vessel before you poured in the 
milk. It was this omission that caused the demon 
to enter there, but, being unable to bear the sign 
of the cross, he has now fled away." Columbkille 
then asked him to bring the vessel near, that he 
might again bless it; and no sooner had he done 
so than " the benediction of his holy hand " so in- 
creased the little milk which remained that the 
pail was once more filled to the brim. 

Towards his last days a celestial light was oc- 
casionally seen to surround him as a garment. 
And once as he prayed his face was first lit up 
with beatific joy, which finally gave expression to 
a profound sadness. Two of his monks saw the 
singular change of countenance. Throwing them- 
selves at the feet of the venerable Abbot, they im- 
plored him, with tears in their eyes, to tell them 
what he had learned in his prayer. 

" Dear children," said he, with gentle kindness, 



284 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" I do not wish to afflict you. But it is thirty 
years to-day since I began my pilgrimage in Cale- 
donia. I have long prayed to God to let my ex- 
ile end with this thirtieth year, and to call me to 
His heavenly country. When you saw me so joy- 
ous, it was because I could already see the angels 
who came to seek my soul. But all at once they 
stopped short down there upon that rock at the 
farthest limits of the sea which surrounds our 
island, as if they would approach to take me and 
could not. 

" And, in truth, the blessed spirits could not, 
because the Lord had paid less regard to my 
ardent prayer than to that of the many churches 
which have prayed for me, and which have ob- 
tained, against my will, that I should still dwell 
in this body for four years. That is the reason 
of my sadness. But in four years I shall die with- 
out being sick ; in four years, I know it and see it, 
they will come back, these holy angels, and I shall 
take my flight with them towards the Lord." 

Dear old Saint! his last day on earth came. It 
was a Saturday in sunny June. Drawn in a car by 
oxen, the venerable Abbot passed through the 
fields near the monastery, and blessed his monks at 
their labor. Then, rising up in his rustic chariot, he 
gave his solemn benediction to the whole island 
— a benediction which, according to local tradi- 
tion, was like that of St. Patrick in Ireland, and 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 285 

drove from that day all vipers and venomous crea- 
tures out of Iona. 15 

He then took his way to the granary of the 
monastery and gave it his blessing, remarking at 

15 After the death of St. Columbkille, Iona became the most 
famous sanctuary of the Celts. It was the burying-place of 
kings, princes, and nobles. Seventy kings were buried at the 
feet of our Saint. 

Even Shakspeare, in his great tragedy of " Macbeth," does not 
forget to put the following dialogue into the mouths of his cha- 
racters : 

" Rosse. Where is Duncan buried ? 
Macduff. Carried to Colmes-Kill, 
The sacred storehouse of his predecessors, 
And guardian of their bones." 

The ravages of the Danes first dimmed the light of Iona. They 
sacked its famous monastery in 801, and killed sixty-eight peo- 
ple, as is recorded by the " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. 
p. 411. For safety the sacred remains of Columbkille were trans- 
ferred to Ireland towards the close of the same century. 

The ruin and plunder begun by the pagan Danes was completed 
by Protestant fanaticism in the dark days of the so-called Refor- 
mation. All the sacred edifices of Iona were pillaged by a horde 
of brutal ruffians. It was a desert in the eighteenth century. 
" The three hundred and sixty crosses which coverea the soil of the 
holy island " had been thrown into the sea. " We are how tread- 
ing," wrote Dr. Samuel Johnson when he visited this historic spot, 
'' that illustrious island which was once the luminary of the Cale- 
donian regions, whence savage clans and roving barbarians deriv- 
ed the benefits of knowledge and the blessings of religion." Iona 
now belongs to the Duke of Argyll. It has a population of about 
350 souls— all Presbyterians ! See " The Monks of the West," 
appendix, note i. 



286 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

the same time to his faithful attendant, Diarmid : 
" This very night I shall enter into the path of 
my fathers. You weep, dear Diarmid ; but con- 
sole yourself. It is my Lord Jesus who deigns to 
invite me to rejoin Him. It is He who has re- 
vealed to me that my summons will come to- 
night." 

The holy Abbot departed from the store-house. 
On the road to the monastery he was met by a 
good and ancient servant, the old white horse, 
which came and put his head upon the shoulder of 
his kind master, as if to take a last leave of him. 
11 The eyes of the old horse," says one of the 
Saint's biographers, " had an expression so pa- 
thetic that they seemed to be bathed in tears." 
But caressing the faithful brute, he gave it a 
blessing. 

He now retired to his cell and began to work 
for the last time. It was at his dearly-loved em- 
ployment — transcribing the Psalter. When the 
great old man had come to the thirty-third Psalm, 
and the verse, " Inquirentes autem Domimim non 
deficient omni bono" he paused. " I must stop 
here," he said; " Baithen 16 will write the rest." 

After some time spent in earnest prayer, he en- 
trusted his only companion with a last message 
for his spiritual sons, advising them, like the 
Apostle of old, " to love one another." 
18 Who became the Saint's successor. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 287 

As soon as the midnight bell had rung- for the 
Matins of the Sunday festival, the noble old Saint 
arose from his bed of stone, entered the church, 
and knelt down before the altar. Diarmid follow- 
ed him, but as the church was not yet lighted he 
could only find him by groping and crying out in 
sad tones, " My father, where are you ? " He 
found Columbkille lying before the altar, and, plac- 
ing himself at his side, he raised the Abbot's ven- 
erable head upon his knees. 

The whole community soon arrived with lights, 
and wept as one man at the sight of their dying 
chief and father. Once more the dear Saint 
opened his eyes, and turned them toward his 
children on each side with a look full of serene 
and radiant joy. Then with Diarmid's aid he 
raised, as best he could, his right hand to bless 
them all. His hand dropped, the last sigh came 
from his lips, and his face remained calm and 
sweet like that of a man who in his sleep had 
seen a vision of heaven. And thus died, or rather 
passed away, at the age of seventy-six, on the 9th 
of June, in the year 597, the glorious St. Columb- 
kille, Irish prince, poet, monk, and missionary— a 
man whose beautiful name and shining deeds will 
live for ever and for ever. 17 



17 This great Saint has not been forgotten in the New World. 
There are churches in Newark, Cleveland, St. Louis, Boston, 



288 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" The countenance of Columbkille," says his 
ancient biographer, St. Adamnan, " resembled 
that of an angel. In conversation he was bril- 
liant; in work, holy; in disposition, excellent; 
and in council, distinguished. Though he lived 
on earth, his manners were those of heaven. 
Every hour of his life was passed in prayer, read- 
ing, writing, or some useful occupation." 

New York, and various other places, dedicated to divine wor- 
ship under the patronage of St. Columbkille. 



jlmtri ftagmi| fife §nd f 

POPE, AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH. 
DIED A.D. 605. 




OURAGE, it has been said, is a necessary 
virtue in all the followers of Jesus Christ 
i The ancient faith is the religion of cour 
ao-e and of combat; and we find a happy illustra 
tion of this principle in the life of our great Saint, 

Gregory 1 was born at Rome of pious, wealthy 
and noble parents, about the year 540. Gordian 
his father, was a senator, but after the birth of the 
Saint he bade adieu to the world, and died one of 
the seven cardinal deacons of the Eternal City. 
His mother, Sylvia, also consecrated herself to 
heaven in the religious state. 

Gregory went through a long and brilliant 
course of studies. Shortly after reaching man- 
hood he was appointed chief magistrate of Rome 
by the Emperor Justin the Younger. The death 
of his father left him master of an immense for- 



1 Gregory is from the German, and signifies -watchful. 
289 



290 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

tune, with which he built six monasteries, and 
transformed his own stately residence into a 
seventh. 2 He himself took the monastic habit in 

575- 3 

In this retirement Gregory became so wholly 
absorbed in prayer, fasting, and the study of the 
sacred sciences that he contracted a painful 
weakness of the stomach. He fell into swoons 
if he did not eat often. But what gave him the 
greatest sorrow was his inability to fast even on 
Easter Eve. He consulted a monk of eminent 
sanctity in relation to this affliction. Both prayed 
to heaven, and Gregory was happily cured. 

While yet a simple monk this illustrious Saint 
projected the conversion of England. He hap- 
pened one day to take a walk through the Roman 
market, and the sight of several young slaves ex- 
posed for sale attracted his attention. He was so 
struck with their fair forms and beautiful counte- 
nances that he stopped and made enquiries as to 

2 The mansion once the residence, and now the convent, of 
St. Gregory, is another interesting monument by which Mount 
Cceliusis adorned. Living in one of the most disastrous epochs 
in Roman history, this Holy Pontiff has, by his piety, his munifi- 
cence, his zeal, and his learning, earned the veneration of the 
Catholic Church. No English traveller, at least, should leave 
unvisited the monument of this illustrious Pontiff, to whom his 
nation was once so much indebted. — Archbishop MacHale, letter 
liv. 

3 He belonged to the Order of St. Benedict. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 291 

their country and religion. The slave-dealer in- 
formed him that they came from an island called 
Britain, and that they were heathens. 

" What evil luck," cried Gregory, heaving a 
deep sigh, " that the Prince of Darkness should 
possess beings with an aspect so radiant, and that 
the grace of these countenances should reflect a 
soul void of the inward grace ! But of what nation 
are they ? " 

" They are Angles," was the reply. 

" Truly they are well named," said the great- 
souled monk, " for these Angles have the faces 
of angels; and they must become the brethren of 
the angels in heaven. From what province have 
they been brought ? " 

" From Deira." 

"Still good," he continued. " De ira eriiti — 
they shall be snatched from the ire of God, and 
called to the mercy of Christ. And what is the 
name of the king of their country ? " 

"Alle." 

"So be it," said Gregory; "he is right well 
named, for they shall soon sing the Alleluia in his 
kingdom." 

*He bought the captive youths and took them 
to the palace of his father — now his own monas- 
tery. " The purchase of these three or four 
slaves," says Montalembert, " was thus the ori- 
gin of the redemption of all England." 



292 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

From that hour Gregory formed the grand de- 
sign of bringing over the Anglo-Saxons to the 
Catholic Church ; and towards its completion he 
consecrated a persevering courage, devotion, and 
prudence which the greatest men have not sur- 
passed. At first he sought and obtained permis- 
sion from the Pope to go as a missionary to Eng- 
land ; but when the news of his departure spread 
through Rome, the populace overwhelmed the 
Sovereign Pontiff with reproaches. 

" Holy Father," they cried out, " what have 
you done ? In allowing Gregory to go away you 
have injured Rome, you have undone us, and 
offended St. Peter." 

The Pope reconsidered his action, and de- 
spatched messengers to recall Gregory. The 
Saint was overtaken on the third day, and oblig- 
ed, though with much reluctance, to return to 
the Eternal City. 

Pope Pelagius II. died at the beginning of a 
dreadful pestilence, and Gregory was unanimous- 
ly chosen to succeed him in 590. He opposed his 
own election by every means in his power ; and 
when he saw all his efforts fail he fled in disguise, 
and lay concealed in woods and caverns for three 
days. During this time the people of Rome 
prayed and fasted. A pillar of light pointed out 
our Saint's wild abode. He was thus discovered, 
and no longer resisted the clear will of Heaven. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 293 

He was consecrated on the 3d of September, in 
the midst of great acclamations. 

Writing to one of his friends, the new Pontiff 
says : " I remember with tears that I have lost 
the calm harbor of my repose, and with many a 
sigh I look towards the firm land which I cannot 
reach. If you love me, assist me with your 
prayers." 

Sad and sombre was the state of the Church at 
that period. Plague and famine desolated Rome. 
The Eastern churches were wretchedly divided, 
and shattered by the Nestorians and other here- 
tics worse than heathens. In the west of Europe, 
Spain was overrun by the Arian heresy, and Eng- 
land was buried in paganism. But Gregory was a 
man of vast genius and unquailing courage. It 
was in the midst of such unhappy circumstances 
that he carried out the spiritual conquest of Eng- 
land. 

In obedience to the command of the Vicar of 
Christ, St. Augustine and his forty companions 
set out for the distant land of the Angles. When 
the travellers reached Lerins — that Mediterra- 
nean isle where, a century and a half before, St. 
Patrick had prepared himself for the conversion 
of Ireland — they were frightened by the tales they 
heard in relation to the Anglo-Saxons. These 
people, it was told, were a nation of wild beasts 
and cannibals. The monks gathered around their 



294 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

leader and besought him to return to the Pope, 
with the request that they might be relieved from 
a journey so perilous and toilsome. 

Augustine departed for Rome. He told all to 
Gregory, but that man of hardy, apostolic spirit 
would not listen to such demands. He seized his 
pen and wrote those timid "fishers of men" a 
letter that revived their drooping courage. 

14 It were better," wrote the great Pope, " not 
to begin that good work at all than to give it up 
after having commenced it. . . . Forward, then, 
in God's name ! . . . The more you have to suf- 
fer, the brighter will your glory be in eternity. 
May the grace of the Almighty protect you and 
grant me to behold the fruit of your labors in the 
eternal country! If 1 cannot share your toil, 1 
shall none the less rejoice in the harvest, for God 
knows that I lack not the good will." 

Augustine and his band of missionaries tra- 
versed France, crossed the Strait of Dover, and 
stepped ashore on the same spot where over six 
hundred and fifty years previously Julius Caesar 
had erected the Roman standard. The new con- 
querors, like Caesar, arrived under the ensigns of 
Rome ; but it was of Rome the Eternal, not Rome 
the Imperial. They came to restore the law of 
the Gospel which the fierce Saxon had drowned 
in blood. They came to imprint the immortal 
seal of the Catholic faith on the soil of England. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 295 

"The history of the Church," says Bossuet, 
" contains nothing finer than the entrance of the 
holy monk Augustine into the kingdom of Kent 
with forty of his companions, who, preceded by 
the cross and the image of the great King, our 
Lord Jesus Christ, offered up their solemn prayers 
for the conversion of England." 4 

When the success of Augustine's mission reached 
Gregory, it filled his great heart with joy inex- 
pressible. He writes to the Patriarch of Alex- 
andria : 

4 Ethelbert, the noble King of Kent, was baptized on Whit- 
sunday, 597, and a crowd of Saxons followed his example. " The 
first of the converts," writes Montalembert, " was a n ,so the first of 
the benefactors of the infant Church." Ethelbert transferred his 
own palace in the town of Canterbury to St. Augustine. He also 
gave frm a piece of ground for the foundation of a monastery. 
The charter of the new monastery has been brought to light in 
our age. It is " the oldest authentic record of the religious and 
political history of England." Here is the text and signatures 
of the ancient document : 

" I, Ethelbert, King of Kent, with the consent of the venerable 
Archbishop Augustine and of my nobles, give and concede to 
God, in honor of St. Peter, a certain portion of the land which is 
mine by right, and which lies to the east of the town of Canter- 
bury, to the end that a monastery may be built thereon, and that 
the proprieties hereinafter mimed may be in full possession of 
him who shall be appointed thereof. Wherefore I swear and 
ordain, in ihe name of Almighty God, who is the first and sove- 
reign Judge, that the land thus given is given for ever — that it 
shall not be lawful either for me or for my successors to take any 
part of it whatsoever from its possessors ; and if anyone shall at- 
tempt to lessen or to annul our gift, that he be in this life deprived 



296 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" The bearer of your letters found me sick and 
leaves me sick. But God grants me gladness of 
heart to temper the bitterness of my bodily suf- 
fering. The flock of the Holy Church grows and 
multiplies. The spiritual harvests gather into the 
heavenly garners. . . . You announced to me 
the conversion of your heretics, the concord of 
your faithful people. ... I make you a return 
in kind, because I know you will rejoice in my 
joy and that you have aided me with your 
prayers. 

" Know, then, that the nation of the Angles, 
situated at the extremest angle of the world, had 
till now continued in idolatry, worshipping stocks 

of the Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, and 
at the day of judgment cut off from the company of the saints. 

" 1 1, Ethelbert, King of the English, have confirmed this gift 
by my own hand with the sign of the holy cross. 

u f I, Augustine, by the grace of God, Archbishop, have freely 
subscribed. 

" f I, Eadbald, son of the king, have adhered. 

" f I, Hamigisile, Duke, have approved. 

" f I, Hocca, Earl, have consented 

" f I. Angemundus, Referendary, have approved. 

" f T, Graphio, Earl, have said it is well. 

" f I, Tangisile, regis optimas, have confirmed. 

" f I, Pinca, have consented. 

"fl, Geddi, have corroborated." 

This venerable document bears the date of January 9, 605. 
See Montalembert's " Monks of the West," vol. ii. p. 160, and 
Palgrave's " Rise and Progress of the British Commonwealth," 
vol. ii. pp. 215-18. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 297 

and stones. God inspired me to send thither a 
monk of my monastery here to preach the Gos- 
pel to them. This monk, whom I caused to be 
ordained bishop by the French bishops, has pene- 
trated to this nation at the uttermost ends of the 
earth, and I have now received tidings of the 
happy success of his enterprise. He and his com- 
panions have wrought miracles that seem to come 
near to those of the Apostles themselves, and more 
than ten thousand English have been baptized by 
them at one time." 5 

This great Pope was the father of the poor. 
So as to spare them confusion in receiving alms, 
he relieved their necessities with much sweetness 
and amiability. He called the old men among 
them his fathers. He often entertained them at 
his own table. He kept by him an exact list of 
the Roman poor, and provided liberally for the 
wants of each. At the beginning of every month: 
he distributed corn, wine, cheese, fish, beef, and 
other articles of food. He appointed officers ins 
every street to attend to the daily wants of the 

5 This celebrated Pope sent England its first library, in 601. It 
consisted chiefly of religious works, but it may be noted that 
in the collection was a copy of Homer. In the library of the 
college of Corpus Christi, Cambridge, a Latin MS of the four 
Gospels is yet preserved which, according to an old tradition, is 
the copy brought from Rome by St. Augustine in 596. We should 
not forget that it was St. Augustine and his monks that first 
taught the English how to read. 



298 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

needy sick, and before eating" himself he always 
sent some delicacy from his table to the homes of 
poverty. On one occasion a beggar was found 
dead on the corner of some out-of-the-way street. 
The news struck Gregory to the heart with sor- 
row, and it is said that he abstained from cele- 
brating Mass for several days, deeming- himself 
guilty of negligence in not seeking the poor with 
more care and energy. 6 

A lady of distinction, being troubled with scru- 
ples, wrote to our illustrious Doctor, saying that 
she could never be at ease till he would obtain 
from God by revelation an assurance that her sins 
were forgiven. 

M You ask," replied Gregory, " what is both 
difficult and unprofitable. It is difficult, because 
I am unworthy to receive any revelation. It is 
unprofitable, because an absolute assurance of 
your pardon does not suit your state till you can 
no longer weep for your sins. You ought always 
to fear and tremble for them, and wash them away 
by daily tears. Paul was taken up to the third 
heaven, yet trembled lest he became a reprobate. 
Security is the mother of negligence." 

"The grave cares of the pontificate did not prevent Gregory 
from indulging in practices of the most ardent charity. Every 
day he invited twelve paupers into bis palace and personally 
waited upon them at table, and, according to the legend, that 
humility was rewarded by his one day seeing an angel make the 
thirteenth of the company at that table. — Artaud. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 299 

He was a man of unceasing toil and activity. 
It is truly incredible how much he wrote, 7 and, 
during- the fifteen years that he governed the 
Church, what great things he achieved for the 
glory of God, the good of the faith, the reforma- 
tion of manners, the relief of the poor, the com- 
fort of the afflicted, the establishment of eccle- 
siastical discipline, and the progress of piety and 
religion. But our astonishment redoubles when 
we remember that during all this time his life 
was a daily battle with bad health. 8 

It was this illustrious Pontiff who ordered that 
blessed ashes should be placed on the heads of 
the faithful at the beginning of Lent. 9 He insti- 
tuted processions on the Feast of the Purification 
of the Most Blessed Virgin, and the recitation of 

7 Gregory was the author of a prodigious number of excellent 
works, Among these is his incomparable book "On the Pasto- 
ral Charge." He wrote it shortly after he became Pope. It treats 
of the duties and obligations of pastors. It is a volume that has 
been highly praised by popes and councils. Alfred the Great 
translated it into Anglo-Saxon, and sent a copy to each of the 
bishops in his kingdom. This great Pope also reformed the 
Sacramentary, or Missal and Ritual of the Church. 

8 This holy Pope had labored many ) r ears under a great weak- 
ness of his breast and stomach, and was afflicted with slow fevers 
and frequent fits of the gout, which once confined him to his bed 
two whole years.— Butler. 

9 Up to the time of Celestine III., created Pope in nai, it was 
the custom to place the holy ashes on the head of the Pope as they 
are now placed on the heads of the faithful, and to repeat the 



300 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

the Litany of the Saints on the feast of St. Mark, 
on account of the growing virulence of the plague 
which had carried off his august predecessor. 

The disease always ended in a fit of sneezing 
or of yawning, and the Pope ordered that "God 
bless j 'oa " should be said to those who sneezed, 
and that the sign of the cross should be made on 
the lips of those who yawned. It was at the end 
of this dreadful plague that the antiphon Regina 
coeli loetare was introduced into the chants of the 
Church. 10 

Our great Saint was the first who used the 
phrase, to speak ex cathedra. He was also the first 
who ordered that pontifical bulls or diplomas 
should be dated from the Incarnation of our Di- 
vine Redeemer. Through a sentiment of hum- 
ble modesty — ever the companion of real great- 
ness — he styled himself in all his letters "Or- 
well-known formula: ''Remember, man, that thou art dust, 
and unto dust thou shalt return." But, under Urban VI., 
elected Pope in 137S, a different custom was introduced, which 
obtains to this day — namely, that of strewing the ashes upon the 
head of the Holy Father without saying a word. — Aitaud. 

10 Many persons affirm that St. Gregory the Great instituted 
what is known as the '"Gregorian Chant." But the learned 
Dominic M. Manni, in his " Dissertation on the Discipline of 
the Ancient Ecclesiastical Chant," printed at Florence in 1756, 
proves that Gregory did net invent that chant, but reduced it to 
a more fitting form and rendered it more easy to be studied. A 
chant similar to the " Gregorian " was known in the time of Pope 
Hilary, who was raised to the Pontificate in 461. — Artaud. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints* 301 

vant of the servants of God." The custom of over 
twelve centuries has consecrated this beautiful 
title. It is used in our own day by Leo XIII. 

Extraordinary men commissioned by Heaven 
to begin works which are to be truly great and 
enduring seldom live to old age. Gregory the 
Great, whose pontificate has left a bright and 
lasting impression on the memory of Christen- 
dom and a peerless example in the annals of the 
Church, filled the chair of Peter only fifteen 
years. He died on the 12th of March in the 
year 605. 11 

11 The first Catholic colonists of Maryland named the Potomac 
after St. Gregory. " Never have I beheld a larger or more beau- 
tiful river," writes the venerable missionary, Father White, S. T. 
" In comparison with it the Thames is a mere rivulet." — Relatio 
Itineris in Marylandiam. 



FATHER OF THE CHURCH. 
DIED A.D. 735. 




HE early history of the Catholic Church 
in England is crowned by one of those 
great figures that stand out above the 
sea of ages, and triumph over the forgetfulness as 
well as over the systematic contempt of scoffing 
and frivolous generations. 

The name of Bede, 2 after having been one of 
the brightest and most popular in Christendom, 
still remains invested with an imperishable fame. 
He is the type of that studious and learned life 
which, in the eyes of many, sums up the entire 
mission of the monk. 

To have seen him pray, says an ancient writer, 
one would think that he left himself no time to 
study ; and when we look at his books we admire 

1 O.S B , the Order of St. Benedict, of which he was a member. 

2 Bede is from the Anglo-Saxon and signifies prayer. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 303 

that he could have found time to do anything 
else but write. 

Our Saint 3 was born in the North of England, 
at a village near the mouth of the Tyne, in the 
year 6y$. The little Bede, at the age of seven, 
was confided by his relatives to the care of Abbot 
St. Benedict Biscop, who had just completed his 
monastery of Wearmouth. But the great abbot 
soon transferred the charge and education of his 
young pupil to his assistant, Ceolfrid. The latter, 
with twenty companions, had founded the house 
ofYarrow. 

No sooner, however, had they settled down in 
their new home than a cruel epidemic swept over 
the establishment. Death carried away all the 
choir monks. The Abbot Ceolfrid and his favor- 
ite pupil, the young Bede, then in his thirteenth 
year, alone remained. But the two continued to 
celebrate as best they could, with tears and sor- 
row, the entire canonical service until the arrival 
of a new body of monks. 

It is truly touching to think of these two heroic 
souls. One was already a mature and illustrious 
man, the other an obscure child predestined to 
fame. Together they sang the praises of God in 

3 The title of Venerable, which was given to him only in the 
ninth century by a kind of universal consent, did not then, as 
now, imply an inferior position to that of saint or blessed in the 
celestial hierarchy. — Montalembert. 



304 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

their lonely, plague-stricken cloister — together 
they awaited the future with lofty faith and un- 
conquerable courage. 

The life of Bede was entirely passed in the mon- 
astery of Yarrow, which he immortalized by his 
virtues and his vast learning. From a pupil he 
soon rose to be a master of the highest rank. At 
the age of thirty he was elevated to the sacred 
dignity of the priesthood. Many were his duties. 
It was his pleasure, as he himself tells us, " to 
learn, to teach, and to write." He gave daily 
lessons to six hundred monks. And until his 
last illness he had no assistant in his literary 
labors. 

" I am my own secretary," he said ; " I dictate, 
I compose, I copy all myself." * 

This great genius, this cheerful and unwearied 
worker, was the author of forty-five different books. 
Many of these are comments on Holy Scripture, 
but he handled all the sciences and every branch 
of literature. 5 

4 In King- Alfred's version Bede is styled Mass-Priest, because 
it was his employment to sing every day the conventual Mass. 
He tells us that the holy abbot and founder, St. Benedict Biscop, 
like the rest of the brethren, used to winnow the corn and thresh 
it, to give milk to the lambs and calves, and to work in the bake 
house, garden, and kitchen. Bede must have sometimes had a 
share in such employments, and he was always cheerfully obedi- 
ent and indefatigable. — Butler. 

5 In his scientific essay, " De Rerum Natura," it is worth noting 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 305 

He taught princes and advised prelates, but 
such was his love of simplicity that he would 
never accept the dignity of Abbot. 6 When con- 
sulted as to abuses in church or state, his words 
were wise, noble, and weighty. He always wrote 
with manly independence. 

In a letter to his pupil Egbert, 7 Bishop of York, 
he says: 4 ' Beware, dear bishop, of the crime of 
those who think only of drawing earthly lucre 
from their ministry. It is said that there are many 
villages in our Northumberland, situated among 
inaccessible hills or woods, where the arrival of a 
bishop to baptize, and teach the faith and the dis- 

that this Father of the Church, in the eighth century, teaches that 
the earth is round. 

The Protestant Bayle greatly admired the learning of our Saint. 
According to Bayle, he surpassed Gregory the Great in elo- 
quence and copiousness of style, adding that there is scarcely 
anything in all antiquity worthy to be read which is not found 
in Bede. 

6 He declined the abbatial dignity which was pressed upon him. 
Malmesbury gives us a letter of Pope Sergius, by which, with 
many honorable expressions, he was invited to Rome, that Pope 
desiring to see and consult him in certain matters of the greatest 
importance. This must have happened about the time that he 
was ordained priest. Bede out of modesty suppressed this cir- 
cumstance. What hindered his journey thither we know not ; 
but we have his word for it that he lived from his childhood in 
his monastery without travelling abroad — that is, without making 
any considerable journey. — Butler. 

7 He was a prince, and brother of the King of Northumberland. . 



30 6 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

tinction between good and evil, has never been 
witnessed, yet where no one is exempt from pay- 
ment of the bishop's dues. Thus there are bish- 
ops who, far from evangelizing their flock with- 
out reward, as our Lord wills, receive, without 
preaching, the money which He has forbidden 
them to accept even while preaching." 

In this great soul the Christian virtues were 
naturally united to that thirst for knowledge, that 
love of study, that vivifying desire for work, that 
noble thoughtfulness of things human and divine, 
which makes Bede such an interesting figure in 
early English history — that history of which he 
himself was the father and founder. 5 

But the most beautiful part of his life was the 
hour of his happy departure from this world. It 
was a scene sublime. His last days were devoted 
to the translation of the Gospel of St. John into 
Anglo-Saxon. Even his illness did not interrupt 
the work, which he continued with the aid of a 
young secretary. As the venerable monk dic- 
tated he would sometimes pause and say : " Make 
haste to learn, for I know not how long I may 

8 Bede wrote his famous work called the " Ecclesiastical His- 
tory of the English Nation " in the year 731. It is dedicated to 
a pious and learned king of Northumbria. This work, says 
Montalemberr, " has made Bede not only the father of English 
history, but the true founder of history in the Middle Ages." 

Edmund Burke styles Bed- the " Fath r of Engli-h learning." 



Little L ives of ike Great Saints. 307 

remain with you, or if my Creator may shortly 
call me." 

On the eve of the Ascension the translation 
was nearly finished. " Beloved father, there is 
still one chapter wanting," said the young - secre- 
tary. " Would it fatigue you to speak any 
more ? " 

" I am still able to speak," answered Bede. 
"Take your pen, make it, and write rapidly." 
The other obeyed. 

At noon he sent for the priests of the monastery 
and bade them a last farewell, requesting each of 
them to say Masses for his eternal repose. Thus 
passed his last day until the evening. 

" Most dear master," said his companion ten- 
derly, " there remains but one verse to write.'' 

" Write quickly," answered Bede. In a few 
minutes the work was completed, and the young 
monk exclaimed: " It is now finished." 

" You say truly, it is finished," said the dying 
Saint. " Dear child, hold my head in your arms, 
and turn me, that I ma}^ have the pleasure of 
looking towards the little oratory where I was 
wont to pray." Thus, lying on the floor of his 
cell, he sang, " Glory be to the Father, and to the 
Son, and to the Holy Ghost," and as he murmur- 
ed the last of these divine names his beautiful 
soul passed to the bosom of God. 9 

9 The monastic sanctuary towards which the dying look of Bede 
was turned still remains in part, if we may believe the best ar- 



308 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

His death occurred at the age of sixty-two, on 
the evening of the 26th of May, in the year 735. 

" Remember," writes the famous monk Al- 
cuin to the religious community of Yarrow, many 
years after, " remember the nobility of your 
fathers, and be not the unworthy sons of such 
great ancestors ; look at your books, at the beauty 
of your churches and monastic buildings. Let 
your young men learn to persevere in the praises 
of God, and not in driving foxes out of their 
holes, or in wearing out their strength running 
after hares. What folly to leave the footsteps of 
Christ and run after the trail of a fox ! Look at 
Bede, the noblest doctor of our country. See 
what zeal he showed for knowledge from his 
youth, and the glory which he has received among 
men, though that is much less important and less 
dazzling than his reward before God. Stir up, 
then, the minds of your sleepers by his example. 
Study his works, and you will be able to draw 
from them, both for yourselves and others, the 
secret of eternal beauty." 

chseologists, and his memory has survived the changes of time. 
An old oaken chair is still shown which he is supposed to have 
used. It is the only existing relic of this great Saint. His tomb 
was first at Yarrow, but his relics were removed to Durham in the 
eleventh century. They were an object of veneration to the 
faithful up to the general profanation under Henry VIII., who 
pulled down the shrine and threw the bones on a dunghill, along 
with those of all the other holy apostles and martyrs of North- 
um berl and . — Montilemberl. 



jSami Jbrtmrfr, 



ABBOT OF CLAIRVAUX, AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH. 



DIED A.D. 1 153. 




j|T. BERNARD, 1 the glory of the twelfth 
century and one of the great men of 
all time, was born in 1091 at the castle 
of Fontaines, near Dijon, France. He belonged 
to an eminent family. Tecelin, his father, was 
lord of Fontaines. He was a good man, and a 
noble knight of gentle manners. The Saint's 
mother, Elizabeth, was a truly Christian lady, 
who considered her children as sacred deposits 
committed to her charge by Heaven. Though 
of a very delicate constitution, she never trusted 
them to the care of strangers, but wisely and ten- 
derly nursed them herself. 2 

The little Bernard was especially dear to his 
pious mother, as she had a vision of his future 
greatness and sanctity. In the sunshine of her 

1 Bernard is from the German and signifies bold as a bear. 

2 Our Saint was the third of a family of seven, six sons and 
one daughter. 

3°9 



3 to Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

eye he unfolded like a beautiful flower. With 
the simplicity of a good, gentle child he secretly 
imitated her actions — prayed like his mother; 
gave bread to the poor, like his mother; behaved 
kindly to every one, like his mother; spoke little, 
like his mother, and wept over his faults with 
the pure, crystal tears of boyhood. 

From his earliest } T ears he showed a wonderful 
inclination for study. There was something quick 
and bright in the precocious intelligence which 
shone forth in his eye, and in the refined and ex- 
pressive features of his gracious countenance. 
His kind, open heart diffused over his face and 
person the innocent joy and smiling grace so 
lovely in childhood. At this time his figure was 
slender, his hair golden, and his complexion very 
fair. 

Bernard gave a striking proof both of his 
patience and his delicacy of conscience in one of 
his childish illnesses. A woman offered to cure 
him of a headache which had long baffled all reme- 
dies ; but the keen-sighted boy, having caught sight 
of some superstitious object, in her hand, divined 
her intention, sprang out of bed, and chased her 
from the room with a cry of indignation, because 
she had sought to cure his malady by the hateful 
arts of magic. 

Our Lord, it seems, rewarded the piety of this 
heroic act. The pain instantly left the child, and 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 31 r 

he rose full of joy and health. Some years now 
passed by, and Bernard grew in age and grace 
before God and man. 

The promising boy was sent to Chatillon, on 
the Seine, to pursue a complete course of studies 
in the college of that town. He made rapid pro- 
gress. He soon learned to read and write Latin 
with ease and elegance ; he cultivated poetry, and 
even became too passionately fond of literature. 
He was, however, a wise, practical student, who 
was not misled by the mere tinsel and glitter of 
knowledge. He sought knowledge with a prac- 
tical end in view ; and any other intention would 
be unworthy of a Christian. 3 

But in the pursuit of learning he never lost 
sight of virtue. The charm of early innocence 
was not destroyed, as too often happens, with the 
progress of years and education. In him, as time 
rolled away, the head was not a gainer at the ex- 
pense of the heart, nor was love overlaid by in- 
tellect. 

Whilst Bernard's mental gifts developed, faith 

3 As the great Saint afterwards said himself : " There are some 
who wish to learn only for the sake of learning, and this curios- 
ity is ridiculous ; others wish to learn only to be considered 
learned, and this vanity is blamable ; others wish to learn only 
to traffic with their learning, and this traffic is ignoble. When, 
then, is learning good? It is good, says the prophet, when it is 
put in prict'cr; and he is guilty, adds the Apostle, who, having a 
knowledge of the good which he should do, does it not." 



312 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

took deeper root in his soul. He enjoyed the in- 
ward sweetness of a perpetual spring. It was 
the blossoming period of life. There are few men 
who have no recollection of that mysterious time 
when the pure young soul opens and produces the 
first flower of love. Happy when its sweet per- 
fume rises aloft towards heaven! 

At this age every young man is a poet. He is a 
poet because he loves, and because poetry is the 
natural language of all who love. But poetry 
does not express itself in words alone. It lives in 
the pensiveness of silence; it lives sometimes in 
tears; it kindles the eyes; it gives birth to sighs 
and dreams. We love and know not what we 
love — we catch faint glimpses of it, we invoke it, 
we seek it everywhere amid the shadows and re- 
flections of truth and beauty. But our ideal is 
not upon earth ; and hence that mixture of love, 
and hope, and sorrow which fills the soul with 
feelings undefinable. 

The young Bernard passed through the various 
stages of that poetical period of life. Alas! it is 
of short duration. The flower must fall before 
the fruit can appear ; and between the fall of the 
flower and the maturity of the fruit there is in the 
spiritual as in the natural life a long, uncertain in- 
terval — a time of toil and heavy, anxious labor, 
which sometimes drags on even to the end of our 
earthly course ! 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 313 

Bernard was in this second period when he left 
Chatiilon to return to his father's house. He was 
then just nineteen, shining outwardly with all the 
brightness of youth and genius. His rank as a 
young nobleman, his prudence and natural mo- 
desty, his gift of conversation, his affability and 
sweetness of temper, made him beloved by every 
one. But these very advantages had their dan- 
gers. He no longer felt within him the transports 
of his first fervor. His piety seemed to have lost 
its sweetness. For him the springtime was past. 
Shadows were gathering around his precious 
soul. 

Purity, with him as with most other young 
people, was the first virtue on trial. Protected 
hitherto by innocence and modesty, it had suffered 
no assault ; but the charms of the world, into 
which he had just entered, excited his senses, and 
strongly allured a heart full of simplicity and only 
too open to outward impressions. He battled 
bravely, however, against this weakness of fallen 
human nature; and God mercifully came to his 
aid and blessed him with victory. Truly there 
is no king like him who is king of himself. 

Meanwhile, he was struck to the heart by a new 
affliction. It put an end to his home happiness. 
His mother, like a fruit ripe for heaven, was 
snatched away by death. The good and gentle 
lady bade adieu to this world, fortified by the 



314 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

sacraments, and surrounded by her family and 
by many distinguished ecclesiastics. 4 

The temptations of the world and the loneliness 
that seemed to surround his steps after the death 
of his mother deeply touched the heart of Ber- 
nard. Sometimes he seriously pondered the mat- 
ter over, and began to think of forsaking his 
home and of retiring to Citeaux, where God was 
served with great fervor. Grace touched his 
heart. One day, as he was going to see his bro- 
thers, who were then with the Duke of Burgundy 
at the siege of Grancei Castle, he stepped into a 
church on the roadside, and, in great anxiety of 
soul, prayed that God would direct him and show 
him the way in which he should go. 

At that moment a deep calm fell upon his 
troubled soul, the breath of heaven rekindled the 
lamp of his spiritual life, and the young noble- 
man, ail on fire with love, consecrated himself for 

4 "She was often seen," writes an ancient author, "alone, and 
on foot, on the road from Fontaines and Dijon, entering the 
houses of the poor, distributing food and medicine, carrying a'l 
kinds of succor and consolation to the afflicted ; and what was 
most admirable in her beneficence was that she so practised it 
as to preserve the utmost possible concealment. She did all her 
good works in person, without the assistance of her servants ; 
and of her it might be said with truth, that her left hand knew not 
the bounty o" her right." 

It may be remarked that this was a Catholic lady of the so- 
called " dark ages " ; but we confess that to our mind she was 
a noble, large-hearted, and very enlightened woman. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 315 

ever to God, and joyfully took upon him the yoke 
of Him who is meek and humble of heart. He 
resolved to embrace the severe Cistercian Rule. 5 

Many years after this change Bernard loved to 
recall its circumstances. " I am not ashamed to 
confess," he would say to his monks at Clairvaux, 
" that frequently, and especially at the beginning 
of my conversion, 1 have experienced great hard- 
ness and coldness of heart. I sought Him whom 
my soul desired to love — Him upon whom my 
frozen heart might rest and gather warmth ; and as 
no one came to help me, and to melt the thick ice 
which bound all my interior senses in its chain, 
my soul became more and more languid, weak, 
and benumbed, giving way to grief, and almost 
to despair, and murmuring inwardly, ' Who can 
endure such cold ? ' Then all at once, at the first 
sight, perhaps, of some spiritual person — or, per- 
haps, at the mere remembrance of the dead or the 
absent — the Spirit of God began to breathe upon 
these frozen waters; they flowed again, and my 
tears served me for food day and night." 

Bernard's friends and brothers endeavored to 
dissuade him from entering the religious state ; 

6 The Cistercians were founded by St. Robert in 1098. He 
adopted the Rule of St. Benedict, and established the house of 
Citeaux — hence the name Cistercian. The Trappists— now the 
most austere order in the Church — are a reformed branch of the 
Cistercians. 



3 1 6 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

but he so graciously pleaded his cause as to draw 
them all over to join him in his noble undertak- 
ing-. One of the saint's uncles, named Gauldri, a 
veteran warrior, came to the same resolution. 
One by one his brothers made choice of the 
narrow way. And Hugh of Macon, a very rich, 
noble, and distinguished man, and an intimate 
friend and school-fellow of St. Bernard, shed 
tears when he heard of his design; but two 
interviews induced him to become his com- 
panion. B 

The Saint's companions were now thirty 7 in 
number, all assembled in a house at Chatillon, 
engaged in the work of preparing themselves for 
the final consecration to heaven. In truth, there 
was something very extraordinary in this union 
of so many persons of high distinction bent on 
one supernatural object. It gives a true idea of 
Bernard's immense sway over his fellow-men. 
His burning words of love and power, like a 
living chain, bound them together and linked 
them to his own great heart. 

6 " This same Hugh," says a writer of that day, "afterwards 
became Abbot of Pontigny and Bishop of Auxerre — a church 
which he still rules in such a manner as to prove that he has the 
merit as well as the dignity of the episcopate." 

7 Several of those who:n Bernard gained to God being married 
persons, their wives, who entered into their views, retired into a 
Benedictine convent near Dijon, the same to which Hombeline, 
St. Bernard's sister, afterwards went. — Ratiibonne. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 3 1 7 

On the day appointed for the execution of their 
design, Bernard and his four brothers went to the 
castle of Fontaines to bid a last farewell of their 
father, and to beg his blessing. It was a scene of 
sorrow. The pearly tears of the gentle young 
Ilombeline mingled with the sobs of the aged 
Tecelin. 8 

As Bernard and his brothers left the castle-yard 
they saw their youngest brother, who was at 
play with other children of his own age. Guido, 
the eldest, embraced him, saying: " Adieu, my 
little brother Nivard. Do you see this castle 
and these lands ? Well, all will be yours — yours 
alone." 

" What! " exclaimed the child, with more than 
a child's thoughtfulness, " are you going to take 
heaven for yourselves and leave earth for me? 
The division is not equal." He soon after fol- 
lowed his brothers. 

The thirty now journeyed together on foot, 
under the guidance of their beloved leader, who 
marched at their head. On reaching the famous 
monastery of Citeaux, this holy company pros- 
trated themselves at the gate and begged of the 
abbot, St. Stephen, 9 to be allowed to join the 

8 For the consolation of the reader we haste to say that towards 
the close of his life the venerable Tecelin rejoined his sons, and 
died, full of days, in the arms of St. Bernard. 

9 St. Stephen Harding, who was an Englishman. The rules of 



318 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

monks in their penitential lives. The good abbot 
received them with open arms, 10 and gave them 
the habit. This was in 1113. St. Bernard was 
then twenty-three years of age. 

From the moment of his entrance on the monas, 
tic life Bernard's chief care was to realize in him- 
self the advice he had given to others. " If you 
begin," said he, "begin well." 

" Bernard, Bernard," he would say to himself, 
" why did you come here ?" He studied to mor- 
tify his senses, and in all things to die to himself. 
This practice, by continual repetition, became a 
custom, and custom was almost changed into na- 
ture; so that, his soul being always occupied on 
God and the things of God, he seemed not to per- 
ceive what passed around him. After a year's 
novitiate he knew not whether the top of his cell 
was covered with a ceiling, nor could he tell 

the monks of Citeaux were extremely rigorous. "These holy 
monks," says an ancient chronicler, "wished to live unknown 
and forgotten in their deep solitude. Their austerities seemed 
beyond human endurance. They were half naked, exposed to 
the most piercing c< Id of winter and the most burning heat of 
summer. To their continual labor they joined the most painful 
exercises : vigils, almost throughout the night, the Divine Office, 
spiritual lectures, long prayers, and other devout practices, suc- 
ceeded each other without any intermission." 

10 Perhaps the prophetic eye of St. Stephen beheld the pope, 
the cardinals, the fourteen bishops, and the thousands of monks 
whom the chief applicant at the convent gate was to add to his 
order. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 319 

whether the church had more than one window, 
though it had three. 

But man may stumble, even in climbing to the 
mountain heights of sanctity. It was so with our 
Saint. His affection for his mother had induced 
him to make a vow to recite the Seven Peniten- 
tial Psalms daily for the repose of her soul. 

" Once," says an ancient writer, " whilst still in 
his novitiate, he went, to rest without having ac- 
complished the duty which he had prescribed for 
himself. The next day Stephen, his spiritual 
father, being inwardly enlightened, said to him : 
1 Brother Bernard, to whom did you give the 
care of reciting your seven psalms yesterday ? ' 

" At these words Bernard, astonished that a 
practice which he had kept secret should be 
known, burst into tears, and, throwing himself at 
the feet of his venerable guide, confessed his 
fault, and humbly begged pardon for it." 

On finishing the year of novitiate, he and his 
companions made their profession. Bernard was 
now a monk. In all monastic exercises his ardor 
was extraordinary. He was unable, however, to 
reap the corn so as to keep up with the rest, and 
his superior appointed him other work ; but he 
earnestly begged of God that he might be en- 
abled to cut the grain, and soon equalled the best 
hands. As he toiled away his soul lived continu- 
ally in God's holy presence. 



320 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

It was to him a season of abundant grace and 
rapid progress. " He avows," says an ancient 
author, " that it Was principally in the fields and 
woods that he received by prayer and contempla- 
tion the understanding of the Scriptures ; and he 
is in the habit of saying pleasantly to his friends 
that he never had any other master in this study 
but the beech-trees and the oaks of the forest." 

Bernard's constitution was feeble and delicate, 
but his fasts and mortifications were rigorous. At 
length he fell ill. He could neither eat nor sleep, 
and was often tormented by long fainting-fits. 
Thus he hastened the ruin of his health by the 
excess of his austerities ; and, indeed, he had rea- 
son in after-years to regret his want of due dis- 
cretion in the use of penitential practices. 

He was a great lover of poverty in his habit, 
cell, and all other things, but he was none the less 
a lover of cleanliness. He termed dirtiness a 
mark of sloth or a pitiable vanitv. His diet was 
coarse bread softened in warm water. He had a 
great aptitude for contemplation, and found every 
place suitable for that exercise. 

But he omitted no opportunity of speaking for 
the good of his neighbor, and adapted himself 
with wonderful tact and prudence to the circum- 
stances of all with whom he conversed — the rich 
or the poor, the learned or the ignorant. " When 
you speak," he would say, " do not hurry your 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 321 

words." And though his writings are warmed by 
the breath of his holy unction, yet they convey 
not the grace and fire of the winged words that 
flew from his burning lips. 

The mother-house at Citeaux n soon became too 
narrow to shelter the numerous earnest souls that 
sought safety and salvation within its sanctified 
precincts. New foundations became necessary. 
St. Stephen Harding, therefore, appointed Bernard 
Abbot, and ordered him to go with twelve monks 12 
and to establish a new house in the diocese of 
Langres. 

11 Citeaux offers at the present time but a melancholy spectacle. 
We visited this desert in the month of October, 1839, and this 
visit wrung our heart. Modern industry — more pitiless than the 
Vandals of past ages— has sought to drive from the place the 
slightest remembrance of the monks who civilized and sanctified 
it. Upon the ruins of the abbey rises a sugar manufactory of 
beet-root, which has since fallen into ruins ; and a wretched play- 
house supplies the place of the monks' library — perhaps even of 
their church ! The cell of St. Bernard, which was still in exist- 
ence twenty years ago, has also been sacrificed to the utility of a 
manufactory. They showed us its remains. A castle, or rather 
a villa, painted yellow, contrasted strangely with the tombstones 
and loose bones which we tread undtr our feet. We examined 
with great care old plans of the immense enclcsure, which in- 
cluded more than two hundred acres, without counting the fields, 
farms, court-yards, and other dependencies of the monastery ; but 
now it is not easy even to recognize the site — three villages 
have been constructed out of the remains. — Abbe Ratisbonne. 

12 Among the twelve were Bernard's brothers, his uncle God- 
ferry, and several relations. 



2,2 2 Little Liv.s of the Great Saints. 

Our Saint was then only in his twenty-fifth 
year ; and it was a subject of general surprise that 
a young man of such delicate health, and who had 
no experience in worldly affairs, should be chosen 
as the head of so perilous an enterprise. But his 
virtue had shone forth in so remarkable a manner 
that St. Stephen — better versed than others in the 
hidden ways of Providence — did not hesitate to 
uphold this choice, the consequences of which 
were so happy for the Church. 

The holy company set out on their journey, 
and singing psalms, with their young Abbot at 
their head, they took their way across a wild, un- 
cultivated country. At length they reached a 
swampy valley. It was once the haunt of robbers, 
was surrounded by a dense forest, and was called 
the " Valley of Wormwood." Here they halted. 
It was to be the future home of St. Bernard, who 
gave it the name of Claire- Vallee — which in time 
took the form of Clairvaax — for it was, indeed, to 
become a furnace of divine light. 

The thirteen hardy monks at once bent them- 
selves to the work of clearing off a spot of earth, 
and, with the assistance of the country people, 
built themselves little cells. At first they had 
much to suffer. On one occasion the distress was 
so extreme that even the very salt failed them. 
But their holy Abbot was a light in darkness, and 
proved himself equal to all difficulties. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 323 

" Guibert, my son," said Bernard to one of the 
monks, " take the ass, and go and buy salt in the 
market." 

" My father," replied Guibert, " will you give 
me money to pay for it ? " 

" Have confidence," sai*d the man of God. u As 
to money, I do not know when we shall have any ; 
but there is One above who keeps my purse and 
who has the care of my treasures." 

At this Guibert smiled, and, looking at the 
Abbot, ventured to say : " My father, if I go 
empty-handed I fear I shall return empty- 
handed." f 

"Go," still replied Bernard, " and go with con- 
fidence. I repeat that my treasure will be with 
you on the road, and will furnish you with what 
is necessary." 

This was enough. The monk saddled his ass, 
received the Abbot's blessing, and started on his 
way to the market, which was held near a castle 
called Risnellus. 

" Guibert," continues the simple chronicler who 
relates the foregoing, " had been more incredu- 
lous than he should have been ; nevertheless, the 
God of all consolation procured him an unex- 
pected success, for not far from the neighboring 
town he met a priest, who saluted him and asked 
him whence he came. Guibert confided to him 
the object of his mission and the extreme poverty 



324 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

of his monastery. The recital so touched the 
heart of the charitable priest that he furnished 
him abundantly with all sorts of provisions." 

The happy monk returned in haste to Clair- 
vaux, and, throwing himself at Bernard's feet, 
related what had happened to him on the 
road. 

" I told you, my son," said the Abbot gently, 
11 that there is nothing more necessary to the 
Christian than confidence in God. Never lose it, 
and it will be well with you all the days of your 
life." 

Clairvaux, at the time of its foundation, may be 
compared to the grain of mustard-seed spoken of 
in the Gospel. Nothing, in fact, could have been 
weaker, humbler, and more miserable than this 
heavenly seed when it was first cast into the field 
of the Church. It long vegetated without any 
development. It had to struggle against the most 
violent storms and tempests ; but the principle of 
life contained within it rendered the work of God 
indestructible, and after many profound humilia- 
tions it made a sudden spring and grew into vast 
proportions. 

In the year 11 18, ia William of St. Thierry, one 

13 It was towards the end of this year that Bernard had the 
happiness of seeing his old father, who, by a movement of grace, 
came to join his sons and share their destiny. Tecelin took the 
religious habit, and not wishing that any difference should be 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 325 

of the most learned men of his age, visited the 
wonderful valley. " On coming down from the 
mountain," he writes, "and entering Clairvaux, 
the presence of God was visible on all sides, and 
the silent valley published, by the simplicity and 
humility of the dwellings, the humility and sim- 
plicity of those who inhabited them. Then, pene- 
trating further into this holy place, so full of men, 
where none were idle, but all occupied at some 
kind of work, there was to be found at mid-day 
a silence like that of midnight, interrupted only 
by manual labor and the voices which sang the 
praises of God. The harmony of this silence 
and the order maintained was so imposing that 
even worldly strangers — struck with reverence — 
not only feared to utter an idle or wicked word, 
but even to indulge a thought which was not 
serious and worthy of the holy retreat." 

Such was this illustrious school of Christian 
wisdom under the direction of the Abbot Ber- 
nard ! 

The Saint, on account of indiscreet austerities, 
was often afflicted by severe bodily illness. In 
truth, he was frequently on the very verge of the 
tomb ; but such trials only ennobled his nature 
and increased his merits. To common souls, 

made between him and the other monks, he humbly practised all 
the exercises of the Order, and shortly after closed his noble 
career by the happy death of the just. — Ratisbo ne. 



326 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

however, sickness is an occasion of weakness. It 
relaxes the springs of the spiritual life. But to 
strong souls it is, on the contrary, an exercise of 
courage and patience — a means by which the 
Christian overcomes himself, tames his inferior 
nature, and learns to imitate the patience of 
Him who suffered in order to leave us a golden 
example. 

It was about this period that St. Bernard began 
to compose his works. 14 



M St. Bernard's first work was his treatise on the " Twelve 
Degrees of Humility." " Humiliation." he writer, u is the road 
to humility, as weakness in suffering tribulations and injuries 
produces patience. If you do not exercise humiliations, you can- 
not attain to humility." 

He wrote numerous pious and learned works. His volume "On 
the Errors of Abelard," and another " On Consideration," addres- 
sed to Pope Eugenius III., are his masterpieces. His " Sermons " 
are admirable. The style is smooth, elegant, and poetical. This 
great Doctor was the most illustrious orator of his age. His 
funeral oration on the death of his brother Gerard is a most elo- 
quent and affecting composition ; and h<s two eulogies on the 
Irish archbishop, St. Malachy, are worthy of all praise. The 
1 Letters " of St. Bernard amount to over four hundred and forty. 

" St. Bernard, in his writings," says Butler, " is equally tender, 
sweet, and violent ; his style is sublime, lively, and pleasant ; 
his charity appears even in his reproaches, and shows that he 
reprove^ to correct — never to insult. This gives snch an insinu- 
ating turn to his strongest invectives that it gains the heart, and 
instils both awe and love; the sinner whom he admonishes can 
only be angry with himself, not with the reprimand or its chari- 
table author. He had so diligently meditated on the Holy Scrip- 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 327 

The fame of his greatness soon spread to distant 
parts ; and his ability, holiness of life, and rare 
capacity for business drew to him a large number 
of persons, who made him the umpire of their 
differences. Priests and laymen alike came to 
consult him ; and princes, prelates, and even 
kings had recourse to this man of God, as to 
an oracle. Thus his light began to shine as the 
dawn of the morning. 

Henry, Archbishop of Sens, was one of the first 
who opened his heart to the holy Abbot of Clair- 
vaux. His life had hardly been in harmony with 
his responsibilities and exalted profession ; and he 
wrote to our Saint, asking for some instructions 
on the duties of the episcopate. Bernard's hu- 
mility was alarmed. 

" Who am I," he exclaimed, " that I should dare 
to teach a bishop ? And yet how can I dare to re- 
fuse him ? The same reason inclines me to grant 
and to refuse. There is danger on both sides ; 
but, no doubt, there is most in disobedience." 

He then despatched to the Archbishop of Sens, 
under the form of a letter, a work on the duties of 
bishops. It is a production of great merit. In 
one paragraph he thus pointedly addresses the 
archbishop : 

tures that almost in every period he borrows something from their 
language, and diffuses the marrow of the sacred text with which 
his own heart was filled." 



328 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

" As to you, bishop of the Most High, whom 
do you desire to please — the world or God? 11 
the world, why are you a priest? If God, why 
are you a worldly priest? We cannot serve two 
masters at once. To desire to be a friend of the 
world is to declare one's self the enemy of God. 
If I please men, said the Apostle, I shall not be 
the servant of Jesus Christ." 15 

Some time after this St. Bernard was declared 
Archbishop of Rheims, by the election of the 
clergy and the acclamations of the faithful; but 
his refusal of this dangerous post was most firm 
and decided. He was obliged, however, to have 
recourse to the authority of Rome, that he might 
not be forced to yield to the earnest desires of the 
ancient and noble church of Rheims. 

He opposed the election of unworthy persons 
to the episcopacy and other ecclesiastical digni- 
ties with the zeal of an Elias. This made the 
Saint many malignant enemies, who spared nei- 
ther slander nor invectives. Their commonplace 
topic was that a monk ought to confine himself 
to his cloister. To this Bernard boldly answered 
that a monk was a soldier of Christ as well as 
other Christians, and that he ought to defend the 
truth and honor of God's sanctuary. 

15 The remarkab'e conversions of innumerable great princes, 
prelates, noblemen, and bdies, wrought by St. Bernard, form too 
long a list to find even mention in this sketch. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 329 

He often put priests in mind of the strict obli- 
gations they incurred in relation to the Church 
revenues which they enjoyed. " You may ima- 
gine," he wrote to the dean of Languedoc, " that 
what belongs to the Church belongs to you while 
you officiate there. But you are mistaken. 
Though it be reasonable that he who serves the 
altar should live by the altar, yet it must not be 
to promote his pride or his luxury. Whatever 
goes beyond bare nourishment and plain, simple 
clothing is sacrilege and rapine." 

In this respect his own conduct was a bright 
model. A great famine desolated the surround- 
ing country in 1125, and in order to relieve the 
poor he often left his monks destitute of all pro- 
visions- 
One day, as St. Bernard was going to visit the 
Count of Champagne, he met a sad procession 
which was leading an unhappy wretch to execu- 
tion. The great Abbot was touched with com- 
passion. He darted into the crowd, and took 
hold of the cord which bound the criminal. 

"Trust this man to me," he said. " I wish to 
hang him with my own hands." And holding the 
cord, he led the unfortunate fellow to the palace 
of the Count of Champagne. 

At this sight the terrified ruler exclaimed : 
"Alas! reverend father, what are you doing? 
You do not know that this is an infamous wretch 



3$o Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

who has deserved hell a thousand times. Would 
you save a devil ? " 

"No," replied the Saint gently; "I do not 
come to ask you to leave this unhappy man un- 
punished. You were about to make him expiate 
his crimes by a speedy death. I desire that his 
punishment should last as long as his life, and 
that he should endure the torments of the cross 
to the end of his days." 

The prince was silent. But St. Bernard took 
off his tunic, clothed the criminal with it, and 
brought him to Clairvaux, where " this wolf," 
says the chronicle, " was changed into a lamb." 
He was called Constantine. He persevered in 
the practice of good works for more than thirty 
years, and at last died at Clairvaux in a most edi- 
fying manner. 

Our Saint kept up a vast correspondence not only 
with princes, prelates, kings, and popes, but with 
women of rank who sought his holy direction, or 
others whom he had converted to a devout life. 
From these epistles, which breathe the spirit of 
wisdom and tenderness, we have room but for 
one short extract. It is from a letter addressed 
to a young lady of great virtue named Sophia. 

"You are most happy," writes the Abbot of 
Clairvaux, " to have distinguished yourself from 
those of your rank, and to have raised yourself 
above them by the desire of solid glory, and by a 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 3 3 ' 

generous contempt of that glory which is false. 
By this distinction you are more illustrious than 
by the splendor of your birth. . . . 

" Let other women borrow foreign beauty when 
they find themselves deprived of that which was 
once their own. They show clearly that they are 
deficient in the true and interior beauty, because 
they adorn themselves with such care to please 
madmen. 

" As to you, my daughter, consider as unworthy 
of you a beauty which is derived from the skins 
of beasts or the labor of worms. The true beauty 
of anything resides in itself, and depends not up- 
on anything apart from itself. Chastity, modesty, 
silence, humility — these are the ornaments of a 
Christian virgin. 

" Oh ! how many graces does chaste modesty 
shed over the countenance. How much more 
lovely are these charms than pearls and jewels ! 
As for you, your treasures depend not on the 
body, which withers and corrupts — they belong 
to the soul, and they will share its immortality." 

St. Bernard had fled from the world. The life 
of one hidden with Christ was his choice. The 
reigning desire of his soul was to live and die un- 
known to men, amid the daily duties of a Cister- 
cian monk. He would have sung the office, toiled 
in the fields, prayed; and read the Holy Scriptures 
and the works of the Fathers, and when he was ripe 



332 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

for heaven would have passed peacefully away to 
his eternal reward. Thus has many a brave monk 
lived and died, while the dull, dizzy world dream- 
ed not of the hidden saints who were warding 
from it the just anger of Almighty God. But 
such was not to be the destiny of the great Ab- 
bot of Clairvaux. 

We can, however, merely glance at his public 
life. He was the chief figure of his time, and 
around him clusters the history of the twelfth 
century. 

He first stands before us as the valiant and suc- 
cessk.l defender of the Holy See and the Vicar 
of Christ. On the death of Pope Honorius II., 
in 1130, Innocent II. was chosen to fill the chair 
of St. Peter by the majority of the cardinals. At 
the same time, however, a faction endeavored to 
invest the proud and powerful Cardinal Peter di 
Leone with that supreme dignity. He took the 
name of Anacletus. He was a worldly, ambitious 
man, and succeeded in getting into his hands the 
strongholds about the city of Rome. Innocent 
was obliged to fly to Pisa. 

It was a most deplorable contest. But God 
always raises up an extraordinary man for extra- 
ordinary occasions. A council of French bishops 
was held near Paris, and St. Bernard was invited 
to attend. His voice rang loud and clear in favor 
of Innocent, who was thus recognized by the 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 333 

council, and soon after came into France. The 
Saint also brought over Henry I. of England, 
who was at first inclined to favor the anti-pope. 
He passed from city to city, from nation to na- 
tion, and at the sound of his voice they became 
reconciled to the Holy See. 16 

Among the most obstinate adherents of the 
anti-pope were the people of Milan. St. Bernard 
was sent to the city. He wrought miracles, and 
was received as a man from heaven. Of him, as 
of Caesar, it may be said, " He came, he saw, he 
conquered " ; but how different was the victory ! 
Milan was at once reconciled to Innocent. 

The Milanese were so charmed with the holy 
Abbot of Clair vaux that one day the faithful, 
headed by the clergy, came in procession to his 
abode, and wished to conduct him by force to 
the archiepiscopal throne, then vacant. Resist- 
ance was in vain ; but the Saint made use of an 
expedient. 

"To-morrow," said he, "I shall mount my 
horse and abandon myself to Divine Providence. 
If the horse takes me outside of the walls of your 
city, I shall consider myself free from any en- 
gagement; but if he remains within the city, I 
will be your Archbishop." 

The following morning he mounted his horse, 

16 The death of the anti-pope in 1138 opened the way to the 
pence of the Church. 



334 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

and, riding at full speed, he departed in haste from 
the walls of Milan. 

Our Saint next found a fitting- sphere for the 
exertion of his zeal in maintaining the purity of 
the Catholic faith. He stood the bold and watch- 
ful sentinel of the Church. He entered the lists 
against the famous but unhappy Peter Abelard, 17 
some of whose writings had been condemned, in 
1 1 21, by the Council of Soissons. The vanity of 
Abelard made him imagine that he could explain 
the most profound mysteries of religion by the 
mere light of reason. He seemed ignorant of 
nothing but himself, and, of course, fell into many 
errors. It was then that St. Bernard broke si- 
lence, and pursued the innovator with invincible 
energy. He thus wrote to the Pope: 

" It is to you, Most Holy Father, that we turn 
when the kingdom of God is in danger or suffers 
any scandal, especially in what touches the Faith. 
This is the privilege of the Apostolic See, since 
to Peter alone it was said, I have prayed for thee 
that thy faith fail not. We must claim, then, of 
the successor of St. Peter, the fulfilment of the 

17 Peter Abelard was born in 1079, near Nantes, in France. He 
was " a man as extraordinary for the splendor of his erudition as 
for the romance of his li r e — the father of the sophistry of the 
Middle Ages, and the patriarch of modern rationalism." He 
always, however, professed a sincere respect for the Church, and 
it has been said with truth that 'his errors were rather in his 
language than in his mind." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 335 

words which follow : When thou shalt be converted, 
strengthen thy brethren. Now is the time to fulfil 
these words, to exercise your primacy, to signal- 
ize your zeal, and to do honor to your ministry. 

" A man l8 has arisen in France who, from an 
ancient doctor, is turned into a modern theolo- 
gian ; who, having sported from his youth up 
with the art of dialectics, now, in his old age, 
gives forth to us his reveries on Holy Scripture ; 
who, imagining himself to be ignorant of nothing 
that is in heaven or on earth, decides all ques- 
tions without hesitation ; who, ready to give a 
reason for everything, pretends, against all the 
rules of faith — and of reason itself — to explain 
even that which is above reason. 

" This is the sense which he gives to these 
words of the wise man : He who believes lightly is 
a fool ! He says that to believe lightly is to put 
faith before reasoning ; although the wise man is 
not speaking of the faith we owe to God, but of 
the too easy credence we give to the words of 
men. After all, Pope Gregory taught that Di- 
vine Faith loses all merit when it is based upon 
human reason. 

" Mary is praised because she prevented rea- 
son by faith ; Zachary is punished for having 

18 Abelard. He thus begins this letter: "Brother Bernard, 
Abbot of Clairvaux, presents his most humble duty to Pope In- 
nocent, his much-beloved Father." 



336 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

sought in reason for a support to faith. But 
quite differently speaks our theologian. In the 
very first lines of his extravagant theology he 
defines faith to be an opinion — as if the myste- 
ries of our faith depended upon human reason, 
instead of being supported, as they are, on the 
immutable foundations of truth ! 

" What! do you propose to me as doubtful that 
which is of all things most certain? St. Augus- 
tine did not speak thus. Faith, said he, is not a 
conjecture or opitiion formed within us by the labor of 
our reflections. It is an interior conviction, and an 
evident demonstration. Let us, then, leave these 
questionable opinions to the peripatetic philoso- 
phers, who make it a rule to doubt of everything, 
and who, in fact, know nothing. 

" But let us hold to the definition of the Doc- 
tor of the Gentiles. Faith, says that Apostle, is 
the foundation of the tilings we hope for, and a cer- 
tain proof of those we see not. It is, then, a founda- 
tion, and not an opinion — not a deduction. It is a 
certainty and not an estimation." 

Abelard was silenced and confounded by the 
thunder of St. Bernard. He wrote an apology 
for his errors, retired to the monastery of Cluni, 
and died an edifying death in 1142. 19 

19 Philosophical disputes, when they deeply agitate the minds 
of men, are never isolated contests ; they attest the intellectual 
life of an age, and characterize its tendency. Thus the mere 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 337 

In 1147 Pope Eugenius III. appointed St. Ber- 
nard to preach the second Crusade. This the 
eloquent Abbot performed with incredible suc- 
cess in all the chief provinces of France. He 
afterwards did the same in the principal cities of 
Germany. 20 

The Abbot of Clairvaux spoke as one having 
authority, and numberless miracles marked his 
footsteps. " This morning, after Mass," says an 

enunciation of the questions raised in St. Bernard's time gives 
the lie to the long-cherished opinion that the Middle Age was a 
time of ignorance and barbarism. The many rich monuments 
which that age has left to our own testify, on the contrary, its 
intellectual vigor ; and the twelfth century especially is distin- 
guished by its subtil ty of thought, as well as by the sublimity of 
its leading idea. The philosophical and profoundly Christian 
idea which ruled all the science of the Middle Age was faith as 
the source of light. Faith was the common centre of all branches 
of human knowledge ; and from this living source the waves of 
light and truth were seen to flow in harmony and order. But 
the development of this idea coincided with the most critical 
period of the development of the human mind. The nations of 
Christendom had arrived at that era when imagination, exhaust- 
ed b) r prodigious efforts, begins to fade away before positive 
reason — an age of maturity which has its perils as well in the in- 
tellectual as in the physical order. ... In the twelfth century 
this double tendency — that of the Christian idea which sought 
to enlighten science by faith, and that of the rationalizing idea 
which sought to explain faith by human arguments — was clearly 
brought out and formed two distinct schools, the one imperson- 
ated by St. Bernard, the other represented by the too celebrated 
Abelard. — Ratisbonne. 

20 For more about the Crusades see the life of St. Louis. 



338 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

ancient writer, " I presented to him a girl who 
had a withered hand. He cured her on the 
spot." 

While at Sarlat, a town in which many errors 
contrary to faith had been spread, the man of 
God blessed with the Sign of the Cross some 
loaves which were brought to him for that pur- 
pose. " By this," said he, " shall you know the 
truth of our doctrine, and the falsehood of that 
which is taught by the heretics. Such as are sick 
among you shall recover their health by tasting 
of these loaves." 

Geoffrey, Bishop of Chartres, who stood near 
the Saint, having some doubts on the point, said: 

" That is, if they taste with a right faith they 
shall be cured." 

" I say not so," replied St. Bernard. "Assured- 
ly they that taste shall be cured, that you may 
know by this that we are sent by authority de- 
rived from God, and preach His truth." A great 
number of sick persons were cured by tasting the 
bread. 

The true greatness of this apostolic man never 
shone with a brighter lustre than in the hour of 
sorrow and humiliation. One of his biographers 
relates a characteristic anecdote. " A certain 
cleric," said he, " having come to Clairvaux, de- 
manded of St. Bernard in an imperious tone why 
he would not admit him into his community. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 339 

" ' What good is it,' he exclaimed, 'for you to 
recommend perfection in your books, when you 
will not afford it to those who are seeking for it? ' 
adding in an angry tone, * If I had your books in 
my hands I would tear them to pieces ! ' 

" ' I think,' replied the Saint, ( that }^ou have 
not read in any of those books that it is impos- 
sible for you to become perfect at home ; for, if I 
recollect what I have said, it is a change of man- 
ners, and not a change of place, that I have ad- 
vised in all my books.' 

" On which, this man, transported with rage, 
struck him so rudely on the cheek that it grew 
red and swelled. Those who were present at 
this sacrilegious action, unable to contain their 
fury, were about to fall upon the hardened wretch ; 
but the Saint stopped them, and besought them, 
in the name of Christ, not to touch him, but to 
let him depart without molestation." 

From the beginning of the fatal year 11 52 the 
illustrious Abbot of Clairvaux experienced a re- 
turn of his old maladies, and suffered from long 
fainting-fits; but his mind, ever calm and power- 
ful, ruled his feeble limbs, and he was still able 
to use them within the monastery in the service 
of heaven. While enduring the most acute suffer- 
ings, he wrote with a trembling hand to the Ab- 
bot of Bonneval, one of his dearest friends. It 
was his last letter. 



34-0 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" I have received," said the kind and venerable 
old man, u with much gratitude, the marks of af- 
fection which } r ou have sent me ; but henceforth 
nothing can give me pleasure. What joy can a 
man taste who is overwhelmed with suffering? 1 
have no moment of respite, except when I go en- 
tirely without food. I can say with Job that sleep 
has departed from me, lest the insensibility of 
sleep should hinder me from feeling my suffer- 
ings. 

" My stomach can no longer endure any food, 
and yet it causes me pain when I leave it alto- 
gether empty. My feet and my legs are swelled 
with dropsy ; but, that I may conceal nothing 
from your heart, which interests itself in all that 
concerns me, I must confess, though, perhaps, 
somewhat imprudently, that amid all these evils 
my soul sinks not; the spirit is ready in a weak 
frame. 

"Pray to our Lord, who desires not the death 
of sinners, to keep me at my departure out of 
this world, and not to delay this departure. It is 
time for me to die. Aid with your prayers a man 
devoid of all merit, that in this momentous hour 
the tempter may not triumph over me. In this 
my extremity, I have yet desired to write to you 
with my own hand, to show you how much I love 
you, and that when you recognize my handwrit- 
ing you may also recognize my heart; but I should 






Little Lives of the Great Saints. 341 

have been much better pleased to have spoken 
than to have written." 

Silence and sorrow now mingled in the cloisters 
of Clairvaux. The monks surrounded the couch 
of their great father, contemplating, with a holy 
fear, the last shining of that bright star whose 
light was about to disappear from the horizon of 
this world, to rise more grand and glorious in the 
land of triumphant souls. The Saint himself 
seemed like some ripe and perfect fruit bound to 
this life by a slight thread, which the least mo- 
tion might break. He received the Sacraments 
of the Church, and, while awaiting his last hour, 
we find him lovingly employed in comforting his 
children. 

*I know not," said he, casting a glance toward 
heaven, " to which I ought to yield — the love of 
my children which urges me to stay here, or the 
love of my God which draws me to Him." 

These were his last words. The tolling of the 
bells, accompanying the funeral chants intoned 
by the deep voices of seven hundred monks, in- 
terrupted the profound silence of the valley, and 
announced to the world the death of the incompar- 
able St. Bernard. It was about nine in the morn- 
ing, on the 20th of August, n 53. The Saint was 
sixty -three years of age. For forty years he had 
been consecrated to Christ in the cloister, and for 
thirty-eight he had exercised the office of Ab- 



342 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

bot. He left behind him seven hundred monks 
at Clairvaux, 21 and one hundred and sixty mon- 
asteries, founded in different nations of Europe 
and Asia. 22 

31 The French Revolution, towards the close of the last centu- 
ry, placed its unholy hand on the old home of St. Bernard. For 
about ninety years Clairvaux has been used by the government 
of France as a penitentiary. It now contains over 2,000 convicts, 
who are employed in various industrial pursuits, chiefly in weav- 
ing cotton fabrics. 

23 There are many churches in our country dedicated to di- 
vine worship under the name and patronage of St. Bernard. 



ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN. 
DIED A.D. 1 1 80. 




j|T. LAWRENCE * was the youngest son 
of Maurice O'Toole, a rich and powerful 
prince of Hy-Murray, in Leinster, Ire- 
land. He was but ten years of age 2 when his fa- 
ther delivered him as a hostage to Dermot, King 
of Leinster. The cruel king treated the boy with 
great inhumanity. 

O'Toole, however, being informed of the ill- 
treatment and poor health of his son, obliged 
Dermot to place him in charge of the Bishop 
of Glendalough. The good prelate carefully 
grounded him in the principles of religion, and, at 
twelve years of age, the little Saint was sent back 
to his father. 

Soon afterwards Prince O'Toole and his sons 
visited Glendalough. He told the bishop that it 
was his intention to devote one of his sons to the 
Church, and proposed casting lots in order to find 

1 Lawrence is from the Latin, and signifies crowned with laurel. 

2 St. Lawrence seems to have been born about the year 1131. 

343 



344 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

out which. The young Lawrence was startled at 
such a foolish thought, and more than glad to find 
so favorable an opportunity for the accomplish- 
ment of his desires. 

" There is no need to cast lots," he exclaimed. 
" It is the wish of my heart to have no other por- 
tion than God in the service of the Church." 

On hearing this his father placed him once 
more under the care of the venerable bishop, who 
rejoiced in having charge of one so young, and no- 
ble, and promising. 

The soul of Lawrence expanded in the holy 
cloistered shades and amid the romantic beauties 
of Glendalough. 3 His mind was stored with 
knowledge, and he grew in age, and grace, and 
wisdom. 

3 Glendalough — the valley of the two lakes — is one of the most 
remarkable spots in Ireland. It is about twenty-three miles from 
Dublin, in the county of Wicklow. The long valley is sur- 
rounded by high mountains, whence the water falls over many 
craggy rocks, and feeds the two lakes and the rivers below. Here 
are to be seen to this day the ruins of many ancient churches and 
monasteries. 

" The walls of the Seven Churches," says Conyngham, " and a 
belfry roofed with stone, still stand as monuments of the ancient 
greatness and glory of Glendalough. Several old crosses and 
monuments, with curious carvings and inscriptions in Irish, are 
yet found among the ruins. The whole scenery of the valley is 
picturesquely wild and imposing, with its bold, precipitous cliffs 
and mountains, relieved by pleasant green valleys, rushing 
streams, and placid lakes." — Lives of the Irish Saints. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 345 

At the age of twenty-five he was chosen Abbot 
of the monastery of Glendalough. The Saint gov- 
erned his large community with rare virtue and 
prudence. When a great famine desolated the 
country, his charity was boundless. Nor did he 
cease to aid the poor and the unhappy when the 
resources of the abbey were exhausted. He even 
distributed a treasure which his father, Prince 
O'Toole, had left with him as a deposit. 

But other trials were not wanting to test his 
goodness. Some false monks, whose eyes could 
not bear the brightness of his virtue, the holiness 
of his conduct, and the manly zeal with which he 
opposed their disorders, slandered his reputation. 
The young Abbot remembered that Christ had His 
calumniators, and that the disciple is not better 
than his Master. He looked up to Heaven, and 
fought his enemies with silence and patience. 

On the death of Gregory, first Archbishop of 
Dublin, 4 our Saint was unanimously chosen his 
successor. He was then about thirty years of 
age; and, much against his own wishes, was con- 
secrated in 1 162 by Gelasius, Archbishop of Ar- 
magh. 

In this exalted position he carefully watched 
over himself and the large flock committed to his 
charge. He was an unwearied toiler in winning 

4 Dublin became an archiepiscop \\ see in 1152. The four metro- 
politan sees of Ireland are Armagh, Dublin, Cashel, and Tuam. 



346 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

souls to Christ. Before all shone the light of his 
example. His words were powerful, because they 
were enforced by sweetness and lofty virtue. 

The Saint's spirit of prayer and penance was 
admirable. He always assisted at the midnight 
office with the Regular Canons of his cathedral ; 
and often when the world was buried in slumber 
he might be seen for hours whispering aspirations 
to heaven before some lonely crucifix. 

He never ate flesh- meat. He fasted on all Fri- 
days. He wore a rough hair-shirt, and often used 
the discipline. Every day he entertained thirty 
poor persons at table ; and countless others par- 
took of his charity at home. In him all found a 
tender father ever ready to aid them in their tem- 
poral and spiritual necessities. 

For the renewal of his interior spirit, this great 
Irish Archbishop made frequent retreats at Glen- 
dalough — that holy and picturesque spot in which 
he had first learned the beauty of the narrow way 
that leads to heaven. On such occasions he usual- 
ly retired to a famous cave at some distance from 
the monastery. This wild abode overhung the 
south side of the lake. It was hewn out of a solid 
rock three hundred feet above the water. Six 
hundred years before the days of St. Lawrence it 
had listened to the sighs and prayers of St. Kevin, 
the religious founder of Glendalough. 5 

6 Several legends are preserved about St. Kevin in connection 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 347 

But the quiet, holy career of Lawrence was 
about to be disturbed by an unhappy event that 
fills many a dark page in history. The land was rent 
by discord. A band of English freebooters in- 
vaded Ireland. The tocsin of strife sounded loud- 
er than ever, and the rage of contending hosts 
marked the beginning of a long, gloomy period 
of appalling misfortunes for the " Isle of Saints 
and Sages." Our own age has not seen its termi- 
nation ! 6 

When Dublin was besieged by the faithless 
Dermot and his English allies, the city soon felt its 
weakness, and St. Lawrence O'Toole was sent at 
the head of a deputation to make terms with the 
enemy. But while the venerable Archbishop was 

with this singularly wild retreat. One is that he fled there from a 
maiden who passionately loved him, and who had followed him 
from place to place, for he was a man of comely appearance and 
fine proportions ; but 

" Ah ! little the good Saint knew 
What that wily sex can do." 

In his rocky bed in the cliff he at last thought himself safe from 
her intrusion ; but in the morning, as he awoke, " Cathleen's eyes 
of most unholy blue " were looking down upon him. He impul- 
sively started up and pushed her from him, and she fell over the 
beetling rock into the lake below. Whatever truth there is in 
this legend, it has afforded Moore a subject for one of his most 
pathetic lyrics. — Conyngham. 

c For an account of the English invasion of Ireland, see Abbe 
MacGeoghegan's " History of Ireland," chap. xvi. 



348 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

engaged in negotiations with the leaders at their 
headquarters, a number of treacherous officers 
were secretly examining the city walls. A weak 
point was discovered. One thousand picked sol- 
diers entered with fury, sword in hand ; and no 
pen can picture the scenes of carnage that fol- 
lowed. Old and young were butchered with- 
out mercy, and crimes the most revolting were 
committed. 

The Saint did everything that man could do to 
save his unhappy people. Fearless of danger, he 
passed from quarter to quarter; but, alas! often 
the most he could achieve was to procure a decent 
burial for the slain. 

About seven months after this dreadful disas- 
ter, the death of Dermot, and other favorable cir- 
cumstances, induced the noble-hearted Archbishop 
— who was none the less a patriot because he was 
a Saint — to urge a grand union of the Irish princes 
for the utter extermination of the fierce and law- 
less invaders. With this object he flew from 
province to province. He implored them to for- 
get their foolish animosities and combine against 
the foreign foe. But in vain were the pleadings 
of sanctity and eloquent patriotism. A few years 
passed, and history records that Roderick O'Con- 
nor, the last king of Ireland, signed a treaty with 
Henry II. by which he promised to hold his title 
from the English monarch. The Saint himself 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 349 

was one of the witnesses to this document, which 
bears the date of 1 1 75. 

In the same year Lawrence was obliged to go 
over to England, to see Henry II. in relation to 
some affair relating to his diocese. He was nearly 
killed while at Canterbury. As he was ascending 
the steps of the cathedral altar to say Mass, a sacri- 
legious ruffian conceived the scheme of making 
the Saint another St. Thomas ; and, rushing at him, 
he struck him on the head with a heavy club. 
The Archbishop fell to the floor. The people 
were horror-struck, and thought he was murdered. 
But he soon recovered and called for water, which 
he blessed. No sooner was the ghastly wound 
washed with the holy water than the blood ceased 
flowing, and the Saint celebrated Mass. 

In 1 179 the Third General Council of Lateran 
was held at Rome. St. Lawrence and six Irish 
bishops assisted at -that august assembly. Pope 
Alexander III. greatly admired the wisdom and 
learning of the Archbishop of Dublin, and ap- 
pointed him Legate of the Holy See in Ireland. 

Meanwhile a misunderstanding had arisen be- 
tween Roderick O'Connor and Henry II. Be- 
tween the bickering rulers, St. Lawrence under- 
took to negotiate, and with that object he made 
another journey to England. " Blessed are the 
peacemakers," says Christ. But the English 
monarch would not hear of peace, and immedi- 



350 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

ately after the Saint's arrival, he sailed for Nor- 
mandy. Lawrence followed the rude, ill-tem- 
pered king 7 into France. In a second interview 
his charity and prudence triumphed over Henry's 
wild passion and brutal selfishness. He granted 
everything, and left the whole negotiations to the 
discretion of the great Archbishop. 

But the earthly pilgrimage of the Saint was 
drawing to its termination. On the way home 
he was seized by a fever. He retired to the 
monastery of Eu, on the borders of Normandy. 
" This is my resting-place," he said as he reached 
the entrance. He prepared for death and re- 
ceived the last Sacraments. 



7 Of Henry II. the English historian Lingard writes : " His tem- 
per could not brook contradiction. Whoever hesitated to obey his 
will, or presumed to thwart his desire, was marked out for his 
victim, and was pursued with the most unrelenting vengeance. 
His passion was said to be the raving of a madman, the fury of a 
savage beast ! We are told that in its paroxysms his eyes were 
spotted with blood, his countenance seemed of flame, his tongue 
poured a t >rrent of abuse and imprecation, and his hands were 
employed to inflict vengeance on whatever came within his reach ; 
and that on one occasion, when Humet, a favorite minister, had 
ventured to offer a plea in justification of the King of Scots, 
Henry, in a burst of passion, called Humet a traitor, threw down 
his cap, ungirt his sword, tore off his clothes, pulled the silk cov- 
erlet irom his couch, and, unable to do more mischief, sat down 
and gnawed the straw on the floor." — History of En land. 

What a picture of the first of that long line of English tyrants 
who have tried, for seven hundred years, to lord it over Ireland ! 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 351 

When the abbot suggested that he should make 
a will, Lawrence answered with a smile: "Of 
what do you speak? I thank God I have not a 
penny left in the world." 

A little before the light of this world faded 
from his eyes, the thought of dear, unhappy 
Ireland made him exclaim : " O foolish and sense- 
less people ! what are you now to do? Who will 
cure your misfortunes? Who will heal you?" 
He died on the 14th of November, 1180, and was 
canonized in 1226. St. Lawrence O'Toole is the 
last canonized saint of Ireland. 8 

8 " Though seven centuries have elapsed since his holy life," 
writes Dr. Conyngham, " and though Irish soil has been freely- 
nurtured with the blood of Irish martyrs by the so-called Re- 
formers, yet we have not one Irish saint canonized since Ireland 
ceased to be a nation. This is a mournful and significant fact. 
When Irish sanctity was recognized and honored abroad as well as 
at home, Ireland was an independent nation, respected among 
the proudest nations of the earth. Since she lost the priceless 
jewel of freedom, not all the sanctity of her children ; not all 
their munificence in endowing churches, monasteries, and con- 
vents ; not all the Christian charity and holy zeal displayed by 
the pious inmates of the religious houses in feeding the hungry 
and instructing the ignorant, down to the time of their suppres- 
sion at the Reformation ; not all the blood of the faithful shed by 
Henry's infamous successors; not all the tortures inflicted on 
priest and layman during the enforcement of the ' Penal Laws,' 
ever procured the honor of canonization for a native of Ireland 
since Ireland ceased to be a nation." — Lives of the Irish Saints. 

There is a church in St. Louis under the patronage of St. Law- 
rence O'Toole ; and we have no doubt there are others in 
various parts of this republic. 



PRINCESS OF HUNGARY. 1 
DIED A.D. I23I. 




||T. ELIZABETH 2 was born at Presburg, 
Hungary, in the year 1207. Her father, 
Alexander II. of Hungary, was a brave, 
religious monarch, and her mother, Queen Ger- 
trude, was a woman of lofty soul, great piety, and 
a lineal descendant of Charlemagne. 

From the very cradle Elizabeth gave proofs 
of her sublime destiny. At three years of age 
she expressed her compassion for the poor and 
sought by gifts to soothe their misery. Thus 
the virtues of her future life were foreshadowed 
in infancy. Her first act was an almsdeed ; her 
first word was a prayer. 

Some years before our Saint's birth, Herman, 
Duke of Thuringia, had a son born, whom he 
named Louis. The duke obtained a promise 

1 By birth she was Princess of Hungary ; by marriage she be- 
came Duchess of Thuringia. 

2 Elizabeth is from the Hebrew, and signifies -worshipper of God 
or consecrated to God. 

352 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 353 

from the King of Hungary that the little Eliza- 
beth should be given in marriage to his son; and, 
to confirm the engagement, it was agreed, at 
Herman's earnest request, that the princess, when 
four years of age, should be sent to his court, and 
there brought up under the care of a virtuous 
lady. 

The day arrived ; a brilliant cavalcade of lords 
and noble ladies came for Elizabeth. The child 
was clothed in a silk robe embroidered with gold. 
King Alexander said to Lord de Varila : " To 
your knightly honor I confide my sweetest conso- 
lation. " The good queen, with tears streaming 
down her face, also commended her dear little 
one to his care. " I willingly take charge of her," 
said the noble knight; "I shall always be her 
faithful servant." He kept his word. 

Great rejoicing greeted the child in her new 
home, and, at four years of age, she was solemnly 
affianced to Louis, who was then eleven. Ever 
after they were companions. She called him bro- 
ther, and he called her sister. This was in the 
good old Catholic times, when simplicity was still 
honored as a virtue. 3 

3 " A touching and salutary custom," writes the Count de Mon- 
talembert, " existed in Catholic ages and families — to bring up 
together those whose after-lives were destined to be united ; a 
blessed inspiration which mingled in the mind of man the pure 
name of sister with the sacred name of wife, so that none of the 



354 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Elizabeth was a sweet and lovely child ; even in 
her sports she thought of God. When success- 
ful in games of chance, all her winnings were 
distributed among poor girls, on whom she 
imposed the duty of saying a certain number 
of Paters andAves. 

As she grew up she increased in piety and vir- 
tue. She loved prayer, and often stole into the 
palace chapel to offer up her soul to heaven. 
She was very devout to her guardian angel, and 
had a special love for St. John the Evangelist. 

This noble girl practised many self-denials. 
"As the lily among thorns," says one of her 
ancient biographers, " the innocent Elizabeth 
budded and bloomed in the midst of bitterness, 
and spread all around her the sweet and fragrant 
perfume of patience and humility." 

She was educated with Agnes, sister to the 
young duke. On their first appearing together 
at church the two were dressed alike, and wore 
golden crowns set with jewels. There was a ma- 
jestic crucifix in the house of God, and on seeing 
the sacred image Elizabeth took off her crown 

young heart's freshness was lost, but the fond and varying emo- 
tions of brotherhood served to prepare for the grave and arduous 
duiies of marriage. Thus all that was ardent and impetuous in 
the soul was calmed down and sanctified; thus the purest and 
closest relations of life were from childhood joined in an earnest 
and only love, providing for after-years the remembrance of the 
srreetest and most holy affections." — Life of St. Elizabeth. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 355 

and laid it on a bench, at the same time bowing 
down her graceful person to adore the Almighty. 

The vain, worldly Duchess Sophia, who ac- 
companied the young ladies, was offended. 
" What ails you, Lady Elizabeth ? " she said 
rudely. " What new whim is this? Do you 
wish that every one should laugh at you ? Young 
ladies should hold themselves erect, and not 
throw themselves on the ground like fools or old 
women. Is your crown too heavy ? Why do 
you remain stooped like a peasant ? " 

" Dear lady," answered the gentle Saint, " do 
not blame me. See before my eyes the image of 
my sweet and merciful Jesus, who was crowned 
with thorns. I am but a vile creature. My 
crown would be a mockery of His thorny 
wreath." And the lovely girl wept as she uttered 
those earnest words. 

She then knelt humbly as before, and continued 
her devotions, leaving the duchess and Agnes to 
speak just as they pleased. Having placed a fold 
of her mantle before her face, it was soon wet 
with tears. The other two, in order to avoid a 
contrast that would be far from elevating them in 
the eyes of the people, were obliged to follow her 
example, and to draw their veils over their faces, 
" which it would have been much more pleasing 
to them not to do," adds the old chronicler. 

Elizabeth had now many enemies and few 



356 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

friends in the lordly home of her betrothed. 
The good Duke Herman, who loved her tender- 
ly, had passed away to a better world. The 
duchess-mother, who governed during her son's 
minority, despised her, and used every effort to 
oblige her to take the veil in some convent. 

From the unamiable Agnes she suffered daily 
insult. " My Lady Elizabeth," said she to her on 
one occasion, " if you imagine that my brother 
Louis will marry you, it is a great mistake; or, 
if he does, you must become quite a different 
person from what you are now!" Thus, in the 
midst of luxury and boundless wealth, this sweet, 
simple girl bore her heavy cross in silence and 
patience. 

She had, however, one true friend. Louis was 
yet young ; but, in spite of the hostile feelings of 
his mother and sister, his affection for Elizabeth 
grew day by day. He loved her with "a love 
that was more than love." He loved her beauty, 
her innocence, her piety, her modesty, her sim- 
plicity. He consoled her in moments of sadness. 
At such times he whispered his pure, undying af- 
fection. When he returned from journeys or 
hunting-parties, he always brought her some little 
love-gift — a pair of beads, a crucifix, a purse, a 
gold chain, or something else. She called him 
" my dear brother," and he addressed her as " my 
sweet sister." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 357 

When eighteen years of age, Louis proclaimed 
his intention of marrying his betrothed, and, at 
the same time, imposed silence on her enemies. 
He did this with such manly decision that no one 
dared to make any opposition. 

The marriage was celebrated in 1220, with 
great rejoicing, at the castle of Wartburg. The 
young duke was twenty years of age, the dear St. 
Elizabeth but thirteen. 

Louis was not unworthy of his bride so holy and 
beautiful. The purity and greatness of his soul 
were reflected in his manly, graceful person. 
Though modest as a girl, he was as brave as a 
lion. In short, his whole character was sum- 
med up in the motto which he had happily 
chosen from boyhood : " Piety, purity, justice to- 
wards all." 

As to Elizabeth, she recompensed her husband 
with the love of all that was good and lovely. 
The old biographers picture her great personal 
attractions — her black hair, her sweet-looking 
countenance, her bright eyes, which beamed with 
tenderness, her figure of unrivalled grace, and 
her simple, winning ways. 

Louis and Elizabeth were never so happy as 
when in each other's company. Even after mar- 
riage they preserved the custom of calling each 
other brother and sister. " So entire was the union 
of their souls," says Montalembert, " that they 



358 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

could ill endure being separated even for the short- 
est time. Thus, when the duke's hunting excur- 
sions were not too distant, he always took his dear 
Elizabeth with him, and she was happy to accom- 
pany him, even though she had to travel over 
rugged roads and dangerous paths, and to brave 
storms ; but neither hail, nor snow, nor floods, 
nor excessive heats could hinder her from going, 
so anxious was she to be near him who never 
kept her from God." 4 

Nothing, in truth, could be more imposing even 
to worldly souls than the sight of so much virtue 
in these young persons. United by a holy con- 
cord, full of purity and humility before God, full 
of charity and good will towards men, loving 
each other with a love that drew them both to 
God, they offered to heaven and earth a sight 
the most edifying. 

Elizabeth chose for her confessor a holy and 
very learned priest named Conrad ; and under 
the direction of this wise spiritual guide, she 
walked the narrow way of virtue, and even 
reached the lofty summits of sanctity. 

She went on this earthly pilgrimage with her 

4 " Duke Louis saw," says one of the old chroniclers, "that 
she loved God with her whole heart, and that thought comforted 
him ; and she, confiding in the piety and wisdom of her husband, 
did not conceal from him any of her penitential exercises, well 
knowing that he would never interfere between her and her Sa- 
viour." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 359 

eyes ever fixed on heaven. Her mortifications 
were many and rigorous. She wore a hair-shirt 
next her skin. Every Friday and every day in 
Lent she used the discipline in memory of Christ's 
sufferings. 

But piety did not make her sad or gloomy. 5 
She was the most cheerful at festivals. " She 
played and danced sometimes," says St. Francis 
de Sales, " and was present at assemblies of re- 
creation without prejudice to her devotion, which 
was so deeply rooted in her soul that, like the 
rocks about the Lake of Rietta, which grew 
greater by the beating of the waves, her devo- 
tion increased amid the pomps and vanities to 
which she was exposed by her condition." 

The pure heart of this holy princess over- 
flowed with love and mercy for her unhappy 
fellow-creatures. Her generosity was boundless, 
for she saw Christ in every poor person. She 
delighted in paying secret visits to various 
abodes of misery, the bearer of money, provisions, 
and words of cheer ; and her fair, graceful form 
might often be seen on such missions of charity, 
as she glided along the winding, rugged paths 



5 St. Elizabeth said of those who, in praying, wore a sad or 
severe countenance : " They seem as if they wished to frighten 
our good God. Can they not say to him all they please with 
cheerful hearts ? " — Montalembert. 



360 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

that led from the ducal castle to the cabins scat- 
tered over the surrounding valleys. 

One day, accompanied by a favorite maid of 
honor, she was descending a narrow pathway, 
carrying under her mantle bread, meat, eggs, and 
other food for the poor, when suddenly she was 
met by her husband, Duke Louis, who was re- 
turning from a hunting-party. He was astonish- 
ed to see his dear Elizabeth toiling along such a 
rough road under the weight of a burden. 

" Let us see what you carry," said he, at the 
same time drawing aside the mantle which she 
held closely clasped to her bosom. 

Only red and white roses — the most beautiful 
he had ever seen — met his eye, and this astonish- 
ed him, as it was no longer the season of flowers. 
Seeing that Elizabeth was troubled, he sought to 
console her by his caresses, but he ceased at once 
on seeing over her head a luminous appearance 
in the form of a crucifix. The good duke then 
desired her to continue her route without being 
disturbed by him, and he returned to Wartburg, 
reflecting on what God did for her, and carrying 
with him one of those wonderful roses, which 
he preserved all his life. 6 

As the castle of Wartburg was built on a steep 
rock which the weak and infirm poor were unable 

6 At the spot where this meeting took place he erected a 
pillar, surmounted by a cross, to consecrate for ever the remem- 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 361 

to climb, our Saint erected a hospital at the foot 
of the elevation for their reception and entertain- 
ment. Here she daily often fed them with her 
own hands, made their beds, and attended them in 
the heat of summer, when the air of the place 
seemed insupportable to all who were strangers 
to her heroic charity. 

During- a frightful famine that desolated the 
country, she extended her generous aid to every 
part of her husband's dominions. Sometimes a 
miracle smiled on her holy toil. One day as she 
carried a quantity of food to a group ot mendi- 
cants, she saw with uneasiness that she had not a 
sufficiency to give some to each, and that every 
moment more applicants arrived. The sweet 
Saint, however, began to pray interiorly, as she 
handed around the food, and found that, accord- 
ing as she gave pieces away, they were replaced 
by others, so that after giving each of the multi- 
tude a share there was still some left ! 

Through motives of religion, Duke Louis took 
the cross to accompany the Emperor Frederick 
Barbarossa on the Sixth Crusade. 7 The news of 

brance of that which he had seen hovering over the head of his 
w i f e . — Mon ta km bert. 

Those who would possess one of the most charming biogra- 
phies ever written should get Montalembert's Life of St. 
Elizabeth. 

7 " The name and idea of Crusade" says Montalembert, "were 
alone sufficient to make the hearts of all nations beat with ardor. 



362 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

this step overwhelmed St. Elizabeth with sorrow, 
for her attachment to her husband was something 
inexpressibly tender and beautiful. 

" Dear brother," she said, as the pearly tears 
rolled down her lovely cheeks, " if it be not against 
God's will, remain with me." 

" Allow me to set out," said Louis, " for I have 
made a vow to God." 

All at once the spirit of heroic self-denial shone 
out, and she said earnestly : " May He in His 
goodness watch over you. May all happiness 
attend you for ever. Go, then, in the name of 
God!" 

But the moment of parting was extremely pain- 

These great and holy expeditions exercised over souls an influ- 
ence so powerful that no valiant knight or pious and fervent 
Christian could resist it. The remembrance of the almost fabu- 
lous exploits of Richard Ceeur dc Lion, forty years before, still 
lived in the minds of the chivalry and the people. The brilliant 
and unhoped-for success of the Fourth Crusade dazzled all Eu- 
rope. People saw the destruction of that ancient empire of By- 
zantium, which never did else than betray the Christians who 
weif fighting for the faith, but which still occupied an immense 
place in the veneration of Christendom, and from the ruins of 
which was destined to rise a new empire, founded by a few French 
knights and some Venetian merchants. . . . The whole of the 
thirteenth century was penetrated with an earnest desire to rescue 
the tomb of Christ, and to bow down the power of the East be- 
fore the Cross. This feeling was extinguished only at the death 
of St. Louis." 

For further information about the Crusades see the life of 
St. Louis, King of France. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 363 

ful. All trembling with emotion, the princess 
clung to her husband ; and it was only after a 
desperate effort in conquering his heart that his 
tongue could find expression. " Elizabeth," said 
the noble Crusader, " look at this ring that I take 
with me. On the sapphire is engraven the Lamb 
of God with His banner. Let it be to your eyes 
a sure and certain token of all that concerns me. 
Lie who brings you this ring, dearest and most 
faithful sister, and tells you that I am still alive, 
or that I have died, believe all that he shall say. 
May God bless you, my sweetest treasure ! Adieu • 
remember our happy life, our fond and holy love, 
and forget me not in your prayers." 

And Duke Louis rode away, leaving his wife 
bathed in tears, for she had a gloomy foreboding 
that she would never see him again. 

A few months passed by, and, alas! the faithful 
ring was on its way back to the castle of Wart- 
burg. Duke Louis was no more. A fatal fever 
had carried him away, and at the early age of 
twenty-seven he died like a saint and hero. 8 

8 He received the last sacraments from the Patriarch of Jerusa- 
lem. " Then," writes Montalembert, " he requested all his men, 
in the names of God and our Lady, to remember him if they sur- 
vived the dangers of their holy undertaking — to bring back his 
remains to Thuringia, to inter them at Reynhartsbrunn, where he 
had chosen his burial-place, and also never to forget him in their 
prayers. Some time before he expired, Louis saw a number of 
doves flying into the room and fluttering around his bed. ' Look, 



364 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

When the sad news reached the youthful prin- 
cess, 9 she murmured a prayer and fell to the floor, 
stricken with grief. Truly the shadow of the 
cross had fallen along the pathway of that bright 
and beautiful spirit! For the first time Elizabeth 
really saw the frown of adversity ; for the first 
time, perhaps, she felt with sensible vividness that 
in the day of trial virtue is the only solid comfort. 
Heaven was about to complete her many good 
works and sacrifices, and to give a rounded love- 
liness to a life so precious and sublime. 

Envy, jealousy, and malignity — all welled up 
and concealed during her husband's lifetime — now 
broke loose against the virtuous princess. Calum- 
ny grew loud and barefaced. It was asserted, 
among other things, that she had squandered the 
public revenue on the poor, and that as she was 
unfit to govern during the minority of her little 

look,' he exclaimed, 'at these snow-white doves!' The by- 
standers thought he was delirious, but, in a moment after, he said : 
4 I must fly away with those beauteous doves.' In saying these 
words lie slumbered in the Lord, quitted this mortal pilgrimage 
to enter the eternal country, there to take his place among the 
heavenly host, on the third day after the Feast of the Nativity of 
the Blessed Virgin (September 11, 1227), having just attained his 
twenty-seventh year." — Life of St. Elizabeth. 

" Many miracles," says Butler, " are related to have been 
wrought by him, in the history of Thuringia and in that of the 
Crusades." — Lives of the Saints, vol. xi. 

9 St. Elizabeth was only twenty years of age at the time of her 
husband's death. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 365 

son Herman, the reins of power should be hand- 
ed over to her brother-in-law, Henry. Justice 
and honor fled from the heart of this ambitious 
man. The wild passions of the mob were ap- 
pealed to by fiery speeches, and Elizabeth was 
brutally turned out of the castle of Wartburg, 
Not a voice was raised in her favor. 

It was midwinter, and the cold was very severe. 
This daughter of a royal race descended on foot — 
her eyes wet with tears — along the rugged, nar- 
row pathway that led to the city. She herself 
carried her new- born babe, and the three other 
children followed with her two faithful compan- 
ions. 

This incident, so shocking to human nature, 
restored the Saint's tranquillity. She sought 
shelter at a poor inn, and was not rejected — 
though the hard-hearted Duke Henry had issued 
a proclamation forbidding any one to receive her- 
self or her children. When she heard the mid- 
night bell ringing for Matins at the Franciscan 
monastery which she had founded not many years 
before, she immediately arose and went to church. 
After assisting at the office, she desired the Fa- 
thers to sing a solemn Te Deitm to thank God for 
His mercies in visiting her with such afflictions. 

For some time after this the troubles of the 
princess were countless She could find no place 
to lodge. A poor priest offered her a room in his 



366 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

little house ; but her enemies were on hand and 
drove her forth. At length she found a refuge 
from her uncle, the Bishop of Bamberg. 

A change, however, soon came about. The 
voice of justice was heard. A spirited remon- 
strance from some of the chief nobles of Thurin- 
gia brought the usurping Henry to his senses, 
and he even promised to restore Elizabeth her 
rights and all her possessions. She returned for 
a short time to the castle of Wartburg, but the 
piety of her life was not pleasing to her worldly 
relations. 

The Saint left the lordly residence where she 
had spent so many years, and retired to Marburg, 
in Hesse. The revenues of this city were granted 
to her to provide for her maintenance. Here she 
retired to a house of her own, and, under the 
guidance of her director, Conrad, she labored 
only for heaven. She was a member of the 
Third Order of St. Francis. 10 Tattlers she de- 
tested. She spoke little, and her words were 
marked by modesty and reserve. She gave her 
rich dowry to the poor, and supported herself 
by spinning. 

Her father, the King of Hungary, sent an am- 



10 Butler says that " she imitated the state of nuns, though, by 
the advice of her confessor, she remained a secular, that she 
might better dispose of her alms for the relief of the poor." 






Little Lives of the Great Saints. 36 7 

bassador to invite her home. " Say to my dear- 
est father," she remarked, " that I am more happy 
in this contemptible life than he is in his regal 
pomp, and that, far from sorrowing over me, he 
ought to rejoice that he has a child in the service 
of the King of Heaven. All that I ask of him is 
to pray and to have prayers offered for me, and 
I will ceaselessly pray for him as long as life is 
left me." 

It pleased the Almighty that a halo of glory 
and majesty should surround the close of this 
noble lady's earthly pilgrimage. One day she 
met a deaf and dumb boy, and asked him a ques- 
tion. He at once got the use of speech. On an- 
other occasion she saw a blind man walking near 
a church. She questioned the poor fellow, and 
learned that he would like to see the sunlight and 
the house of God. The sweet Saint told him to 
kneel and pray, and she prayed with him. Im- 
mediately he saw. The light of this world dawn- 
ed on his eyes for the first time as he exclaimed : 
" May God be ever blessed ! " 

Three days before she died she was warned to 
prepare for her departure. Elizabeth put all her 
affairs in order, and devoutly received the last 
sacraments from Conrad, her faithful friend and 
confessor. " O Mary ! come to my assistance," 
she exclaimed, and, falling into a gentle slumber ; 
her pure and beautiful spirit passed away, on the 



368 Little Lives of the Great Saints 

19th of November, 1231. She was only twenty- 
four years of age. 11 

11 Many miracles were wrought at the tomb of St. Elizabeth, 
and their authenticity was carefully examined into by Siffrid, 
Archbishop of Mentz " Pope Gregory IX.," writes Butler, 
"after a long and mature discussion, performed the ceremony 
of her canonization on Whit-Sunday, 1235, four years after her 
death. Siffrid, upon news hereof, appointed a day for the transla- 
tion of her relics, which he performed at Marburg in 1236. The 
Emperor Frederick II. would be present, took up the first stone 
of the Saint's grave, and gave and placed on the shrine with his 
own hands a rich crown of gold. St. Elizabeth's son, Herman, 
then Landgrave, and his two sisters, Sophia and Gertrude, as- 
sisted at this august ceremony, also the Archbishops of Cologne 
and Bremen, and an incredible number of other princes, pre- 
lates, and people, so that the number is said to have amounted to 
above two hundred thousand persons" — Lives of the Saints, vol. xi. 

St. Elizabeth had four children — a son, Herman, and three 
daughters. Herman in due time became ruler of Thuringia, but 
died young. The eldest daughter married the Duke of Brabant; 
the other two entered the religious state, and each became abbess 
of her community. 

There are churches in New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and 
various other places in the United States bearing the name of the 
dear St. Elizabeth. 



KING OF FRANCE. 
DIED A.D. 1270. 




j|T. LOUIS 1 is one of the very few names 
in history that recall the great saint, 
the perfect hero, the able statesman, the 
skilful general, and the illustrious monarch. Such 
a noble combination of rare qualities we find in 
the beautiful character of this king of France. 

Louis was born at Poissey 2 on the 25th of 
April, 121 5. His father was Louis VIII. and his 
mother, Blanche, a princess of Castile. She was 

1 Louis is from the German, and signifies bold warrior. The 
English usually write it Lewis. 

2 Poissey was both the place of his birth and of his baptism ; 
"and because," says Butler, "he had been there raised to the 
dignity of a Christian by the grace of baptism, he afterwards hon- 
ored this place above others, to show how much he esteemed this 
spiritual dignity above that of his temporal crown. He made it 
his favorite place, took singular pleasure in bestowing charities 
and doing other good actions there; and in his familiar letters 
and private transactions, several copies whereof are still extant, 
he signed himself Louis of Poissey ■." — Lives, of the. Saints, vol. viii. 

369 



370 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

a woman of extraordinary beauty, virtue, and 
ability. 

This good mother never allowed the Saint to 
suckle any other breasts than her own. With the 
most careful care she attended to every part of 
his education. She taught him to be pure in 
thought, word, and action. 

11 My dear son," she would often say to the 
little Louis, "I love you with all the tenderness 
of a mother ; but I would rather a thousand times 
see 3'ou fall down dead at my feet than that you 
should ever be guilty of one mortal sin." 

These golden words, as the King himself re- 
lates, made a deep and lasting impression on his 
mind. 

Louis was an excellent student. He became a 
perfect master of the Latin tongue, a good public 
speaker, and a writer of grace and dignity. He 
was thoroughly instructed in the art of war, the 
best maxims of government, and all the accom- 
plishments of one destined to rule a great king- 
dom. He was also a good historian, and often 
read the Fathers and Doctors of the Church. 

He came to the throne while a mere boy. His 
father, Louis VIII., died in 1226; and Queen 
Blanche was declared regent for her son, then 
only twelve years old. Fearing seditions, she has- 
tened the coronation of Louis. The ceremony was 
performed at Rheims by the Bishop of Soisson. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 371 

The tocsin of rebellion now sounded in various 
parts of the kingdom ; but the rebels soon found 
they had made a mistake. Queen Blanche and 
the young- Saint headed the army of France, and 
the leaders of revolt were speedily brought to 
terms. The whole period of the king's minority, 
however, was disturbed by some form of rebel- 
lion. 

Modesty, the most amiable of virtues, diffused 
its radiance over the royal Saint's character. 
He loved music and singing. But if any one, in 
song or speech, let slip a word in the least inde- 
cent before him, he was for ever banished from 
the king's presence. 

When the time came to choose a fair compan- 
ion, he sought the most worthy, and was reward- 
ed with the hand of Margaret, eldest daughter 
of the Count of Provence. She was a lady of 
surpassing wit, beauty, and virtue. Louis met 
her at Sens, where they were married in May, 
1234. God blessed the Saint and his lovely bride 
with a constant union of hearts and a family of 
noble, virtuous children. 3 

This good King never thought himself so happy 

3 This great Saint and great King, showing the ring he always 
wore, whereon he had engraven these words, God, France, and 
Margaret, said with such exquisite simplicity: " Hors cet and 
ri ai point (V amour" — " I have no love beyond this ring." — Monta- 
lembert. 



3J2 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

as when enjoying the conversation of learned and 
religious men. But he knew how to observe 
times and seasons with a becoming liberty. Once 
when a certain monk started a grave religious 
subject at table, he gently turned the discourse 
to another topic, saying : ''All things have their 
time." On such occasions his words were cheer- 
ful without levity or impertinence, and instructive 
without stiffness or austerity. 

His piety was admirable. He allotted several 
hours in the day to the recitation of the divine 
office and other prayers, and when he appeared 
at the foot of the altar it was with surpassing 
humility and recollection. But his devotions 
never made him forget any part of the care which 
he owed to the state. He knew well that the 
piety must be false which neglects any duty that 
we owe to others or to ourselves. The same 
lofty motive that animated him in the churches 
made him most diligent in every branch of his 
high charge. It was his greatest support in all 
secular employments. 

He scarcely allowed himself any time for 
amusement. His temperance and mortification 
were such that he practised both with extreme 
austerity, amid the dainties of a royal table. It 
was observed, that he never touched any fruit 
when it was first served in season. He had the 
happy ingenuity of often abstaining from delica 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 373 

cies and of practising many self-denials without 
attracting notice. He wore a hair-shirt, often 
used disciplines, and went to confession two or 
three times a week. 

Thus this great king made the exercise of 
penance easy and familiar, and kept his senses 
and inclinations ever under the rule of reason 
and good government. "There is no king," 
said an ancient saint, " like him who is king of 
himself." 

But his severity was all towards himself. Vir- 
tue did not make him morose. He was the soul 
of kindness, and very agreeable in conversation. 
The inward peace of his mind, and the joy which 
overflowed his pure heart from the continued 
thought of God's holy presence, enhanced the 
natural sweetness and liveliness of his temper. 
Coming from his closet or from the church, he 
appeared in a moment conversing upon business, 
or at the head of his army, with the countenance 
of a hero fighting battles, enduring the greatest 
fatigues and daring the most trying dangers. 

He was scrupulously faithful in keeping his 
word and in observing all treaties. In negotia- 
tions this gave Louis vast advantage over his ad- 
versaries, who often by frivolous evasions eluded 
their most solemn oaths and engagements. The 
reputation of his rare and inflexible integrity soon 
made all parties rejoice to put their affairs into his 



374 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

hands and to have him for their arbiter. Joinville 
assures us that the king's head was the best and 
wisest in his council. In sudden emergencies his 
clear, powerful mind readily resolved the most 
knotty difficulties. 

Frederick II., the wicked and faithless Emperor 
of Germany, though he often broke his engage- 
ments with Louis, as well as with other powers, 
could never provoke him to war, so dexterous 
was the Saint in maintaining both his honor and 
his interests without appealing to the sword. 

In truth, being exempt from those passions 
which commonly blow the coals, he had a happy 
advantage in the pursuit of justice and necessary 
defence. While his foresight and magnanimity 
kept him ever in readiness, his love of peace and 
the nobility of his nature inclined him rather to 
sacrifice some petty consideration than to see the 
spilling of one drop of Christian blood. 

St. Louis was the author of several excellent 
laws; justice flourished in his reign, and the peo- 
ple loved him as a wise and tender father. He 
forbade usury, and restrained the Jews from its 
practice. He ordered that every one convicted 
of blasphemy should be marked upon the lips — 
some say on the forehead — with a red-hot iron. 
He even caused this sentence to be carried out on 
a wealthy citizen of Paris, a man of great con- 
sideration; and when some of the courtiers mur- 






Little Lives of the Great Saints. 375 

mured at this seeming severity, he said that he 
would rather undergo the punishment himself 
than omit anything which might put a stop to a 
crime so horrible. 

The father of our Saint had ordered in his will 
that the price of his jewels should be laid out in 
founding a monaster} 7 . St. Louis very much in- 
creased the sum, and the structure was truly 
royal and magnificent. It was the Abbey of 
Royaumont. Out of devotion, he sometimes 
worked with his own hands in building the 
church. This was afterwards one of the places 
to which he often retired to breathe the air of 
holy solitude. 

He founded the Chartreuse at Paris, and built 
many other religious houses and hospitals. 4 

In 1239 St. Louis received a remarkable present 
from the Emperor of Constantinople. It was the 
crown of thorns that had pressed the sacred head 
of Jesus Christ. He sent two Dominican Fathers 
to bring this precious treasure into France. He 
met it himself five leagues beyond Sens, attended 
by his whole court and a great number of clergy. 
He and his brother Robert, walking in their bare 
feet, carried it into Sens, and afterwards in the 
same manner into Paris. This holy crown was 

4 Felibien remarks that it is incredible what a number of 
churches St. Louis built ; and that, though they are all Gothic, 
they are costly and finely wrought. — Butler. 



376 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

deposited by the king- in the royal chapel of St. 
Nicholas. 

St. Louis was obliged to declare war against 
Henry III. of England, whom he defeated in 1242. 
The English king concluded a peace by promising 
to pay a stated sum of money in five years. 

At this time the restless barbarians of Asia were 
raising a great commotion. A band of Saracen 
desperadoes, in the mountains of Phoenicia, was 
under the command of a leader called the " Old 
Man of the Mountains." These ruffians were 
sworn to take the life of all who opposed the 
spread of Mahometanism. 

The chief's word was their sole law, and they 
carried out his will with reckless energy in any 
part of the world. The "Old Man" fixed his 
evil eye on St. Louis, and sent two resolute sol- 
diers disguised into France. They had strict 
orders to assassinate the Saint. But the Al- 
mighty watched over His servant. The king was 
warned of the diabolical scheme, had the fanati- 
cal wretches arrested, and courteously sent them 
back to their master in the mountains. 

Hordes of Tartars, under the fierce and roving 
successors of Genghis-Khan, spread desolation 
through Hungary, Poland, and Bohemia. Eu- 
rope was filled with terror. Queen Blanche ex- 
pressed her fears ; but St. Louis calmly viewed 
the situation. "Madame," said he, "what have 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 377 

we to fear? If these barbarians come to us, we 
shall either conquer or shall die martyrs." The 
haughty leader of the Tartars went so far as to 
send a letter to the Saint commanding him to de- 
liver up his kingdom ; but the brave ruler of 
France took no notice of such insolence. 

A violent illness brought the King to the very 
brink of the grave in the year 1244. In vain, it 
seemed, was Heaven solicited for the preserva- 
tion of his life. For some days he lay as one 
dead. Then a piece of the true Cross and other 
relics were applied to his person. He slowly re- 
covered. By his first words he expressed his 
resolution to take the cross as a Crusader, and, 
calling for the Bishop of Paris, who was present, 
Louis desired him to receive his vow and to put 
the badge of the cross on his shoulder. 

His wife and his mother fell weeping at his feet, 
and conjured him not to think of such a vast and 
perilous enterprise. But it was all to no purpose; 
he received the red cross. He wrote to the sadly- 
oppressed Christians of Palestine that he would 
make all haste to their assistance. 

Four years, however, were required to com- 
plete the preparations for this expedition. He 
proclaimed his mother, Blanche, regent of the 
kingdom. Queen Margaret declared that she 
would accompany her husband, and bravely she 
kept her word. Accompanied by the flower oL 



3J& Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

his nobility, Louis sailed for Cyprus in the sum- 
mer of 1248. Thus, in brief, began the sixth Cru- 
sade. 6 

6 The Crusades were military expeditions undertaken b) T the 
Catholics of Europe for the purpose of delivering the Holy Land, 
and particularly the sepulchre of our Blessed Redeemer, from the 
oppressive dominion of the Turks. As early as 637, Jerusalem 
fell into the hands of the Saracens, who for political reasons per- 
mitted the Christians to visit the Holy City. In 1065 the ferocious 
Turks obtained possession of Jerusalem, and from that date the 
Christian inhabitants were exposed to every kind of insult and 
outrage. From religious motives pilgrims were induced to visit 
the spots made sacred by the sufferings of Christ ; but on reach- 
ing Palestine, after travelling thousands of miles amid dangers 
and hardships, they were only allowed to enter the city of Jeru- 
salem on the payment of a certain sum of money, and, if they 
succeeded in gaining admittance, they were exposed to all the 
rigors of Mahometan brutality. Some were even condemned to 
death, and others loaded with chains and compelled to draw a 
cart or plough. 

Catholic Europe could not quietly stand this sad condition of 
things. The first Crusade was preached by Peter the Hermit, 
a French priest, in 1095. The Pope blessed the undertaking. 
Thousands hastened to enroll their names for the sacred expedi- 
tion, and as a mark of their engagement a cross of red material 
was worn on the right shoulder ; hence the words Crusade and 
Crusader. 

"There does not exist in the annals of history," says Balmcs 
"an event so colossal as the Crusades. ... In the Crusades, 
we see numberless nations arise, march across deserts, bury 
themselves in countries with which they are unacquainted, and 
expose themselves to all the rigors of climates and seasons ; and 
for what purpose ? To deliver a tomb ! Grand and immortal 
movement, where hundreds of nations advance to certain death — 
not in pursuit of a miserable self-interest, not to find an abode 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 379 

Louis invaded Egypt, and took the strong city 
of Damietta. But calamity soon frowned. Dis- 
ease seized his hardy veterans. The French gal- 
lantly advanced from the sea-coast towards the 
capital of Egypt, and strove to surmount the un- 
seasonable inundation of the Nile which opposed 
their progress. 

It was in vain the fearless king did all that a 
hero and great commander could accomplish. 
Disease, the waters of the Nile, and the hosts of 
Mahomet conquered. Louis was made prisoner 
and loaded with chains. The greater part of his 
nobles were captured. All who could not redeem 
their lives by service or ransom were inhumanly 
massacred, and a circle of Christian heads deco- 
rated the worse than pagan walls of Cairo. 

The true hero is at all times a hero. It was so 
with our Saint. Though in chains and battling 
with disease, he every day recited the Breviary 
with his two chaplains. Daily he had the prayers 
of Mass — except the words of consecration — read 



in milder and more fertile countries, not from an ardent desire 
to obtain for themselves earthly advantages, but inspired only 
by a religious idea, by a jealous desire to possess the tomb of 
Him who expired on the cross for the salvation of the human 
race ! When compared with this, what becomes of the lofty deeds 
of the Greeks chanted by Homer? Greece arises to avenge an 
injured husband ; Europe to redeem the sepulchre of a God." — 
European Civilization, p. 243. 



380 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

to him, that he might the better join in spirit 
with the Church in her Sacrifice. 

In the midst of insults he preserved an air of 
calm, majestic dignity which awed the rude in- 
fidels by whom he was surrounded. Never did 
he appear so great as in those dark days of trial 
and adversity. 

The sultan demanded §450,000 for the king's 
ransom and that of the other prisoners. Louis 
answered that a ruler of France ought not to re- 
deem himself for money ; but he agreed to give 
the city for his own freedom, and the sum of 
money for the ransom of all the other prisoners. 
The sultan, charmed with such noble generosity, 
at once gave him his freedom, and remitted a 
fifth part of the amount demanded. A truce was 
concluded for ten years. It comprehended the 
Christians of Palestine. 

After many perils the Saint journeyed to Pales- 
tine. The very sight of his piety was a moving 
sermon. On one occasion he converted forty 
Mahometans to the true faith. Fasting, and on 
foot, he visited Nazareth. He adored the secret 
judgments of God and referred all to His 
greater glory. 

While rebuilding Caesarea, and strengthening 
some strongholds still in the hands of the Chris- 
tians, Louis received the sad news that his mother, 
the noble Queen Blanche, was no longer in this 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 381 

world. He burst into tears. " O Lord ! " he ex- 
claimed, throwing himself at the foot of the altar 
in his chapel, " I thank Thee for having preserved 
to me so long the best of mothers. Truly there 
was nothing among creatures on earth that I loved 
with such tenderness. Thou takest her from me. 
It is Thy almighty will. May Thy holy name be 
for ever blessed ! " 

The great King showed his deep affection for 
his mother by having the holy sacrifice of the 
Mass offered up in his presence every day to the 
end of his life for the eternal repose of her soul. 

Taking on board his queen, family, and officers, 
the Saint now sailed for France. After an ab- 
sence of almost six years he made his public entry 
into Paris. 

Shortly after Henry III. of England visited 
St. Louis. The English monarch was deeply 
edified. The Saint assured his royal friend that 
he felt infinitely more happy that God had given 
him patience in suffering than if he had conquer- 
ed the whole world. 

St. Louis was a man of unceasing labor. Ev- 
ery hour and every action of life were for the 
honor and glory of God. He founded the cele- 
brated college of the Sorbonne. He established 
a large hospital for poor blind men. Every day 
one hundred and twenty paupers dined at a table 
provided for them near his own palace. He often 



382 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

served them in person. He kept lists of reduced 
gentlemen, and distressed widows and voung wo- 
men, whom he regularly relieved in all parts ot 
his dominions. 

Sixteen years had passed away since he had 
last battled for the tomb of Christ, and again the 
cries of the oppressed Christians in the East 
found a willing echo in the kind, heroic heart of 
Louis. He madg two spiritual retreats as a pre- 
paration, and with a splendidly-equipped force 
sailed for Africa in the summer of 1270. It was 
his design to begin the war by taking Tunis. 
The siege proved disastrous. The French, 
scorched by oppressive heat and decimated by 
deadly fevers, fought and died like brave men in 
the burning sands of a foreign clime. 

The pestilence seized the king. He called his 
eldest son, Philip, to his bedside. He gave him 
instructions wise and beautiful. Among other 
things he said : " My son, I recommend you 
above all to love God. Be ready to suffer every- 
thing rather than commit a mortal sin. When 
you are sick or afflicted return thanks to Heaven. 
Bear it bravely. Be persuaded that you deserve 
to suffer much for having so poorly served God, 
and that all tribulation will be your gain. 

" Confess your sins often. Choose a wise and 
pious spiritual father. Be bountiful. Be com- 
passionate. Be kind to the poor. Punish all 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 383 

who speak ill of God or His saints. In the ad- 
ministration of justice be upright and severe. 
Ever have a great respect for the Church and the 
Pope. 

" To the utmost of your power oppose all blas- 
phemy, oaths, games of chance, impurity, and 
drunkenness. Never lay any heavy burdens on 
your people. Take care to have many Masses 
said for the repose of my soul. Give me a share 
in all your good works. I bless you, and may 
Jesus Christ ever bless and protect you, my 
beloved son ! " 

The great King had a majestic cross erected so 
that he might keep his eyes fixed on it in his suf- 
ferings. " Into Thy hands, O Lord ! I commend 
my spirit," he whispered, and expired in his camp 
at the age of fifty-five, on the 25th of August, in 
the year 1250. 6 Twenty-five years after he was 
solemnly canonized by Pope Boniface VIII. 

6 The brother of St. Louis, Charles, King of Sicily, whose de- 
lays had thrown this expedition into the heats, arrived with his 
fleet a few minutes after the death of our Saint. The Christian 
army again defeated the Moors and Saracens in two great bat- 
tles, and on the 30th of October concluded a peace with the 
infidels on the following conditions : that all prisoners should be 
released and the Christian slaves set at liberty ; that Christians 
should be allowed to build churches and to preach the faith in 
the territories of these Mahometans, and that the Mahometans 
should be allowed to embrace it ; that the king of Tunis should 
pay a yearly tribute of five thousand cvowns to the king of 
Sicily, and that the king of France and his barons should receive 



384 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

St. Louis 7 was the last and greatest in the line 
of glorious heroes that drew the sword in defence 
of the tomb of Jesus Christ. He possessed a rare 
combination of personal accomplishments, and 
even of apparently opposite qualities, which made 
him not only superior to his age, but in truth one 
of the most extraordinary men that ever wore a 
crown. His heroic virtue shone brighter in his 
afflictions than it could have done amid the most 
splendid triumphs. A fearless knight, a resolute 
warrior, and a true Catholic, he was as willing to 
risk his life as to bow his head to the will of Al- 
mighty God. He was a lover of danger, and 
penance, and humiliation. He was the indefati- 
gable champion of justice, of the weak and the 
oppressed. He was the sublime personification 
of Christian chivalry in all its purity and grandeur. 

210,000 ounces of gold to defray the:r expenses in this war — 
which was a larger sum than St. Louis had paid for his ransom. 
Such was the issue of the eigliih and last of the Crusades which 
were undertaken for the lecovery of Palestine, and which em- 
ployed Europe for almost tvo hundred years. — Buticr* 

7 One of the great cities of America bears the name of St. 
Louis. The cathedrals of St. Louis, New Orleans, and many 
other churches of our countiy are dedicated to divine worship 
under the patronage of the royal Saint. Si. Louis University is 
the oldest Catholic institution of learning in the Mississippi 
Valley, with the rank ar.d privdeges of a universiiy. It was 
founded in 1S29 by the Jesuit Fathers. Among its founders was 
the celebrated Indian missionary, Father De Smet, who helped 
to build it with his own hands, and who was its first treasurer. 






Jfemti l|xmm$ jfrpmra*, ®JSJ) + , 

DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, AND PRINCE OF CHRISTIAN 
PHILOSOPHERS. 

DIED A.D. I274. 




j]T. THOMAS 1 AQUINAS, commonly 
styled the Angelic Doctor, was born at 
Belcastro, Italy, in the year 1226. He 
belonged to a noble family, which was allied by 
marriage with several of the royal houses of Eu- 
rope. His father was Count Landolpho of Aquin, 
and his mother, Theodora, a daughter of the Count 
of Theate. 

From his cradle Thomas seemed to be a favored 
child. He preferred books to any other play- 
things. If he cried, an old volume would at once 
pacify the little warbler. But the calmness of his 
countenance, the evenness of his temper, and the 
winning modesty of his manners were visible 
marks of the bounty of Heaven. 

When but five years of age his father placed 
him under the care of the Benedictines of Monte 

1 Thomas is from the Hebrew, and, according to some writers, 
signifies a twin ; others say that it signifies profundity. 
385 



386 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Cassino. 2 These good monks laid the founda- 
tion of learning and religion in the soul of little 
Thomas. With joy they beheld the rapidity of 
his progress, his great mental gifts, and his happy 
inclination to virtue. 

He was only ten years of age when the abbot 
of Monte Cassino advised Count Landolpho to 
send his son to some university. Thomas left the 
quiet solitude of the monastery and was sent to 
the University of Naples. It was a great change. 
The boy suddenly found himself surrounded by 
disorder and wild young men. But he was wise 
beyond his age. He guarded his eyes. He was 
the soul of modesty. He shunned bad company. 
And while others engaged in foolish or sinful 
diversions, Thomas made a good use of his time 
among his books, or retired to some church to pay 
a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. 

2 "This mighty abbey," writes Vaughan, "placed upon the 
mountain-side and looking down on the teeming plain of Aquino, 
about six miles from Rocca Secca, even in those days could be 
looked upon as an antiquity. Once a bushy grove, full of the 
impure worship of lascivious gods, in the sixth century St. Bene- 
dict laid the foundation of its history. When St. Thomas went 
there it had already thrice been jolted to the ground by earth- 
quakes, over and over it had been besieged by barbarians, it had 
been clean destroyed by the Lombards and burnt to cinders by 
the Saracens; but it sprang up as often as cast down, and in the 
early days of St. Thomas was the most distinguished school of 
letters in the land." — Life and Labors of St. TJwmas of Aquin-, 
vol. i. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 387 

The Saint studied philosophy under a famous 
Irishman named Peter of Hibernia, and so aston- 
ishing was his progress that it is said he could re- 
peat the lessons more clearly than they had been 
explained by his master. But his chief care was 
to advance in the science of the saints. He pi~ayed 
much. He walked in the holy presence of God. 
He was a doer of good deeds. His humility, 
however, concealed them as much as possible. 
The many alms which self-denial enabled him to 
bestow upon the poor were given in such a man- 
ner that his left hand scarcely knew the bounty 
of the right. 

Having formed an acquaintance with a Father 
of the Order of St. Dominic — a learned and holy 
man — Thomas resolved to consecrate himself to 
God in the same Order. His father, Count Lan- 
dolpho, was informed of this design and was high- 
ly displeased. 3 He threatened and promised, but 
the future Doctor of the Church listened only to 
the call of Heaven. The student earnestly asked 
to be admitted into the Order, and in 1243 he re- 
ceived the habit in the convent at Naples. He 
was then seventeen years of age. 

When the news of this event reached the ears 
of his mother, she at once set out for Naples. 
Thomas asked to be removed to another convent, 

3 The old count, however, finally consented, and died soon 
after. 



388 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

that he might be spared the pain of an interview. 
His wish was granted. He was on the road to 
Paris when he was arrested by order of his 
brothers, who held commands in the emperor's 
army in Tuscany. 

They endeavored to tear off his religious habit, 
but Thomas made a manly resistance. He was 
now conducted to the family seat at Rocca Secca. 
His mother was overjoyed, for Thomas had been 
arrested at her express command. She made no 
doubt about overcoming her son's resolution to 
be a Dominican. She urged him to throw 
off the religious dress, but he respectfully de- 
clined. She did not, however, despair of chang- 
ing his views and inducing him to embrace an- 
other profession. But her hopes were illusory. 
In vain did she urge her parental authority ; in 
vain did she shed tears, entreat, and caress. 
Thomas was deeply grieved that he was the cause 
of such pain to his mother, but nothing human 
could shake his heroic resolution. He was as firm 
as the granite hills on the subject of his religious 
vocation. 

The Countess was much disappointed, and at 
length had recourse to very harsh measures in 
order to force her son into compliance with her 
wishes, so worldly and unreasonable. She had 
him closely confined. No one was allowed to see 
him but his two sisters, and they used every means 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 3 89 

in their power to overcome his opposition. But 
so far from being successful, these good young 
ladies became the conquest of their gifted brother. 
He spoke to them so touchingly on the contempt 
of the world and the beauty and grandeur of vir- 
tue that they resolved to imitate his example by 
devoting themselves to the practice of Christian 
perfection. 

Thomas was improving the leisure of his con- 
finement by prayer, the study of the Sacred Scrip- 
tures, and the perusal of various works on philo- 
sophy and theology, when his two brothers, re- 
turning home from the army, added new rigors 
to his painful situation. On learning of his oppo- 
sition their wrath was boundless. They rushed 
to his apartment, tore the religious habit from his 
shoulders, and locked him up in the tower of the 
castle. 

Nor was this all. These corrupt military of- 
ficers added crime to cruelty by introducing a 
shameless young woman of great beauty into the 
Saint's room for the vile purpose of overcoming his 
virtue. It was a critical moment. But Thomas 
prayed, looked up to heaven, and, snatching a 
firebrand, he drove the infamous visitor from his 
chamber. 

After this signal victory, the young hero 
dropped on his knees and, with tears in his 
eyes, thanked Almighty God for His mercy and 



3*90 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

goodness. He consecrated himself anew to the 
religious life, and implored the grace of never los- 
ing the priceless treasure of chastity. This prayer 
was followed by a gentle slumber, during which he 
was visited by two angels, who seemed to gird his 
waist; and never afterwards was he troubled with 
any temptation against holy purity. 4 It is no won- 
der that he is styled the Angelic Doctor. 

Thomas, after having suffered imprisonment in 
silence for over a year — some say two years — 
found relief and liberty in the intervention of Pope 
Innocent IV. and the Emperor Frederick. His 
persecutors began to relent. The Dominicans of 
Naples being informed of this, and that his mo- 
ther was disposed to connive at any measures that 
might be taken to procure his escape, they has- 
tened in disguise to Rocca Secca, where his favo- 
rite sister, knowing that the countess no longer 
opposed the escape of her son, contrived to let 
him down from the tower in a basket. Friendly 
arms clasped him on reaching the ground, and he 
was carried with joy to Naples. He made his 
profession the year following. 

4 "It was only a little before his death that he disclosed this 
incident to Father Reynolds, his confessor, adding that he had 
received this favor about thirty years before, from which time he 
had never been annoyed with temptations of the flesh ; yet he 
constantly used the utmost caution and watchfulness against that 
enemy, and he would otherwise have deserved to forfeit that 
grace." — Bu'.L;\ Lives of the Saints, vol. iii. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 391 

His mother and brothers, however, renewed 
their complaints to Innocent IV., and earnestly 
requested him to interfere in the matter. The 
Pope called Thomas to Rome, and, in their pre- 
sence, examined him on the subject of his vocation 
to the state of religion. The young Dominican 
gave his reasons with unanswerable force and 
clearness, and the Holy Father admired his virtue 
and good sense, and approved his choice. From 
that time he was allowed to pursue his career in 
peace, unmolested by the schemes of blind and 
worldly relations. 

It was very important to choose an able and 
saintly teacher to second the genius of the gifted 
novice. Happily, such a rare man was not far 
away. It was Albertus Magnus, 5 a Dominican 
Father of vast intellect, and one of the greatest 
masters of science in his age. He taught at Co- 
logne, and there Thomas was sent to pursue his 
studies. 

The Saint studied with intense application. 
Every moment not employed in devotion and 
other duties was given to his books. He scarcely 
allowed himself time to eat or sleep. But this 
eager pursuit of knowledge sprang from no vain 
passion or desire of applause. He toiled hard 
that he might one day be the better able to de- 

6 Albert the Great. 



39 2 Little Lives of the Great Sai?its. 

fend the Catholic faith and advance the glory of 
God. 

His modest humility, however, made him con- 
ceal his progress and intellectual power; and 
many of his fellow-students thought he learned 
nothing. His silence was remarkable. Hence 
they called him the " dumb ox." Even his cele- 
brated master was at first deceived as to the rich 
mental gifts of this silent genius. But on one oc- 
casion he asked Thomas a number of questions 
on the most knotty and obscure points, and the 
clear, masterly answers given astonished all pre- 
sent. Albert us Magnus was fairly overjoyed. 
"We call him," he exclaimed, "the dumb ox, but 
he will one day give such a bellow in learning 
that his voice shall fill the whole world ! " 

When Albertus Magnus was called to the chair 
of theology at Paris, in 1245, Thomas accompa- 
nied him. It was here that he made a special 
stud)- of Holy Scripture and the works of St. 
Augustine. After three years, however, the Saint 
and his master returned to Cologne. There, at 
the age of twenty-two, he was appointed assistant 
to Albertus Magnus. He now began to publish 
his first works, which consist of comments on 
Aristotle. 

His manners were kind and winning. He was 
still the same hard student, but said that he 
learned less in books than before his crucifix or 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 393 

the Blessed Sacrament. It was while at Cologne 
that he was raised tcrthe priesthood. 6 

He was again sent to Paris in 1252, where his 
growing reputation attracted a great number of 
students to his lectures. He accepted the degree 
of Doctor with much reluctance at the age of 
thirty-one. Such was his acknowledged ability 
at this time that the professors of the University 
of Paris consented to abide by his decision in a 
point of controversy that had arisen among them 
in relation to the Blessed Eucharist. Thomas 
humbly prayed to God for light, and then wrote 
a treatise on the disputed question. He carried 
the manuscript to the church and laid it on the 
altar. Several persons were present. Our Lord 
appeared visibly and said : " My son, you have 
written worthily on the Sacrament of My Body." 

The illustrious St. Louis, King of France, had a 
great respect for our Saint, and honored him with 
his intimate friendship. He often consulted him 
on affairs of state. It was at the table of this holy 
monarch that Thomas — whose attention was ab- 

6 St. Thomas converted his worldly relations. " His example 
and exhortations," says Butler, " induced them to an heroic prac- 
tice of piety. His elder sister consecrated herself to God in St. 
Mary's at Capua, and died abbess of that monastery. The 
younger, Theodora, married the Count of Marscio, and lived and 
died in great virtue, as did his mother. His two brothers, Lan- 
dulph and Reynold, became sincere penitents,"— Lives of the 

Saints, 



394 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

sorbed in deep reflections on the subject of his 
studies — suddenly exclaimed : " The argument is 
conclusive against the Manichees ! " His supe- 
rior, who was present, told him to remember 
where he was. Thomas asked pardon for such 
an oversight; but the king was much edified, 
and, calling his secretary, said: " Write the argu- 
ment, as it might be forgotten." 

The meekness of St. Thomas was as remarkable 
as his learning and genius. No dispute ever dis- 
turbed his habitual calmness. No insult ever 
ruffled his temper. 

In 1261 Pope Urban IV. called the great Doc- 
tor to Rome, where he filled the chair of theo- 
logy and wrote several of his ablest treatises. As 
a preacher our Saint has never been surpassed for 
force and unction. The people hung on his 
words, and often the whole congregation was 
melted to tears. Nor were miracles and conver- 
sions wanting. On one occasion, while Thomas 
was leaving St. Peter's Church, a poor woman, by 
touching his dress as he passed, was instantly 
cured of dysentery. Two famous Jewish rabbis, 
after a conference with him, embraced the faith. 
The Pope offered him the archbishopric of 
Naples, but the Saint declined all ecclesiastical 
dignities. 

He consecrated the last period of his life to the 
preparation of his incomparable " Summa," which 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 395 

he began to write about the age of forty. It 
was while engaged in the composition of this un- 
rivalled theological masterpiece that a voice from 
the crucifix addressed him thus : " Thomas, you 
have written well of Me. What recompense do 
you desire ? " " No other than Thyself, O Lord ! " 
he answered. One of his companions — who was 
present when this occurred — asserts that he saw 
the Saint raised from the ground during this 
wonderful dialogue. 

During the last three months of his life, this ex- 
traordinary man did little else than to prepare for 
the great end, which he felt was rapidly coming. 
In obedience, however, to a Papal Brief, he set 
out for Lyons, in France, where a General Coun- 
cil was to assemble, May, 1274. His illness in- 
creased as he journeyed along, and he was finally 
compelled to stop at Fossa-Nuova, a famous Cis- 
tercian monastery. The good monks treated him 
with all tenderness and veneration, but it was in 
vain they tried to prolong that bright and valu- 
able life. 

The great Doctor made a general confession of 
his whole life, and with tears bewailed frailties 
that had never amounted to a grave sin. 7 He 

7 " His confessor, who knew his life fully, declared that from his 
birth to his death his mind and heart had never once been sullied. 
At forty-eight he was as pure as a child of five years old." — 
Vazi^han. 



396 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

then expressed a desire to receive the Holy Viati- 
cum, and begged to be laid upon the floor. He 
was thus prostrate — weak in body, but vigorous 
in mind — when the abbot and community ad- 
vanced in solemn procession, carrying the Bread 
of Angels. 

" I firmly believe," began the illustrious Domi- 
nican, on seeing the Host in the hands of the 
priest, " that Jesus Christ, true God and true 
Man, is present in this august Sacrament. I 
adore Thee, my God and my Redeemer. I re- 
ceive Thee as the price of my redemption and the 
viaticum of my pilgrimage — Thee for the love 
of whom I have studied, labored, preached, and 
taught. I hope I have never advanced anything 
as Thy word which I have not learned from 
Thee. If through ignorance I have done other- 
wise, I publicly revoke everything of the kind, 
and I submit all my writings to the judgment of 
the Holy Roman Church." 8 

8 Philosophy, theology, piety, and Holy Scripture were the chief 
subjects on which the Angelic Doctor wrote. His works fill 
nineteen folio volumes. But the substance of them all is 
summed up in his great masterpiece, the " Summa Theologiae." 

11 What, then, it may be asked," says Archbishop Vaughan, " is 
this 'Summa Theologiae'? It is the Christian religion thrown 
into scientific form, and the orderly exposition of what a man 
should be. The Angelical had studied the mind of the Church. 
In as far as it is given to man, he had mastered that divine intel- 
ligence." 

" He alone," said Pope John XXII., who issued the bull of his 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 397 

He then received the Holy Viaticum, and made 
his thanksgiving on the floor. As they ail stood 
about him in tears, he thanked the abbot and his 
community for their kindness and charity. 

His d}ang words to a monk who asked him how 

canonization in 1323, " has cast greater light within the Church 
than all the other Doctors taken together." 

At the Council of Trent two books were placed in the midst 
of the assembled bishops — the Bible and the "Summa"of St. 
Thomas. 

The famous Balmes spent four years at the University of Cer- 
vera studying nothing but the " Summa " of the Angelic Doctor. 
" Everything," he said, " is to be found in St. Thomas — philoso- 
phy, religion, politics. His writings are an inexhaustible mine." 
In his " European Civilization " Balmes wrote, referring to the 
vast genius of St. Thomas : " Fortunately, this great man ap- 
peared. The first touch of his powerful hand advanced learning 
two or three centuries." See chap. lxxi. pp. 410-12. 

St. Thomas Aquinas is commended as the " prince and mas- 
ter " of Christian philosophers and the great philosophic guide, 
by our Holy Father Pope Leo XIII., in the famous Encyclical, 
ALterni Patris, dated St. Dominic's Day, 1879. 

" Now, as prince and master, Thomas Aquinas," says the illus- 
trious Leo XIII., "far outshines every one of the scholastic doc- 
tors ; for whilst he had, as Cajetan remarks, the deepest venera- 
tion for the holy doctors of antiquity, he shared, so to speak, the 
intellect of them all. Thomas gathered together their doctrines, 
scattered about like the members of a body, enlarged them, put 
them in methodical order, and made such copious additions to 
them that he may be rightly and deservedly regarded as the glory 
and matchless defender of the Catholic Church. Of a docile 
disposition, his memory pliable and retentive, his life perfect, an 
intense love of truth, very rich in divine and human sciences, 
he, like the sun, nourished the whole universe by the warmth of 



398 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

we might always live faithful to the grace of God 
were : " Be assured that he who shall ever walk 
faithfully in His Presence, always ready to give 
Him an account of all his actions, shall never be 
separated from Him by consenting to sin.'' 

To men he spoke no more, but murmured a 
prayer, and died on the 7th of March, 1274, at the 
age of forty-eight years. And thus the Angelic 

virtue and filled it with the lustre of his learning. There is no 
part of philosophy that he has not handled fully and thoroughly. 
He has treated so clearly of the laws of reasoning, of God and 
incorporeal substances, of man and the senses, of human acts 
and their principles, that nothing is wanting under these heads 
either in his ample store of questions, or in his exquisite ar- 
rangement of the parts, or in his choice method of proceeding, 
or in the solidity of his principles, or in the strength of his argu- 
ments, or in the clearness and propriety of his diction, or in his 
peculiar power of explaining things the most abstruse." 

And near the close of this Encyclical the Holy Father, address- 
ing himself to the rulers of the Church, says: " We mostearnest- 
1)' beseech )'ou venerable Brethren, to restore and extend far 
and wide the golden wisdom of St. Thomas, for the glory and 
defence of the Catholic Faith, the good of society, and the im- 
provement of all the sciences." 

Thus it has been reserved for our own day to see the crowning 
glory given to the incomparable St. Thomas Aquinas and his 
immortal writings. 

Those who have neither time nor sufficient familiarity with me- 
diaeval Latin and scholastic philosophy to read the "Summa" 
itself can use some good abridgment. O'Donnell's "Compen- 
dium of St. Thomas's Theology" and Lebrethon's "Petite 
Sorame Theolog : que de Saint Thomas d'Aquin " are the best works 
of this class in English or French. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 399 

Doctor and prince of Christian philosophers pass- 
ed out of this life to realize away from the twilight 
of earth the one dream of his magnificent soul — 
to see God in His glory, and the Blessed adoring 
before the Everlasting Throne. 



j&tmt Saflfmtts of iataa, 

MODEL OF CHRISTIAN LOVE AND HEROISM. 
DIED A.D. 1510. 




j|T was in 1447, about a dozen years after 
the birth of the great Columbus, that 
another distinguished person was born 
at Genoa. 1 At baptism she received the fair 
name of Catherine. 2 Her family was illustrious. 
Giacopo Fieschi, 3 her father, was viceroy of 

1 Genoa, the birthplace of Columbus, and formerly the capital 
of a republic, is still an important commercial city. It has a 
population of about 140,000. 

2 Catherine is from the Greek, and signifies pure. 

3 The family of the Fieschi was for many ages one of the most 
illustrious in Italy. Its chiefs were Counts of Lavagna, in the 
territory of Genoa. They were for some ages perpetual vicars of 
the empire in Italy, and afterwards enjoyed very extraordinary 
privileges in the republic of Genoa, and among others that of 
coining money. This house gave to that commonwealth its 
greatest generals during its long wars both in the East and 
against the Venetians ; and to the Church many cardinals and 
two popes — Innocent IV. and Adrian V. — Butler 

400 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 401 

Naples, and her mother, Frances di Negro, be- 
longed to a noble house. 

The little one grew up lovely in person, and 
in ways winning, gentle, and remarkable. She 
seemed to be exempt from anger and other petty 
passions of childhood. 

Catherine's favored mind early grasped the 
grandeur of religion. At a time when thought 
scarcely dawns upon other children she had al- 
ready penetrated the beauty of piety and virtue. 
She loved prayer, was a model of obedience, and 
had a tender devotion to the sacred Passion of 
Jesus Christ. She despised pride of birth, hated 
luxury, and practised penance. It should never 
be forgotten that the most tender age is capable 
of making great advances on the path of solid 
virtue. 

At thirteen she desired to enter the religious 
state. She thought that a life of prayer and con- 
templation was best suited to her inclinations. 
But in this she was overruled by obedience to 
her parents, and for other reasons. 

Three years after, by the advice of her father, 
she married Julian Adorno, a gay young noble- 
man of Genoa. He was a person of reckless habits 
and stubborn temper, and was soon reduced to 
poverty. Catherine, as became a noble Christian 
lady, bore her husband's follies and eccentricities 
with gentle, heroic patience. But it was all an 



402 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

up-hill struggle, and told fearfully on her delicate 
constitution. To satisfy him she lived alone for a 
time in a solitary house, never went out except to 
attend Mass, and then returned as quickly as pos- 
sible. 

By Catherine's prayers and persuasive example 
her husband, before it was too late, repented of 
his wild ways. Adorno was visited by a severe 
illness. He was very impatient. His end was 
approaching. Our Saint, in deep distress, with- 
drew to a retired apartment. 

"O Love! O Lord," she exclaimed with tears 
and sobs, " I beg this soul of Thee. I implore 
Thee to grant my request, for Thou canst do it." 
Thus she prayed for the space of half an hour, 
and an interior voice assured her that she was 
not unheard. 

Catherine returned to her husband's chamber 
and found him calm and completely changed. 
He was now submissive to the decree of Heaven. 
He prepared for the end, and soon passed away in 
holy peace. It was something truly wonderful. 

" My son," said our Saint one day to a very 
dear friend, " Julian is gone. You knew his ec- 
centricities, from which I suffered so much ; but 
before he passed away my sweet Lord assured me 
of his salvation." 

One of her great trials was over. The ten 
years of her married life were gloomy, sorrowful 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 403 

years, which, however, aided our Saint in the 
work of her more perfect sanctification. But she 
was now free to devote herself to good works. 

Catherine resolved to serve Christ by minister- 
ing to suffering humanity. She took charge of 
the great hospital of Genoa. Nothing escaped 
her holy care. She served the sick with in- 
credible tenderness. For them this sweet, high- 
born lady ^performed the meanest offices — offices 
that must have shocked the delicacy of nature 
and put her virtue to the test. She often dressed 
the most loathsome ulcers with her own hands. 
"It is also remarkable," says her biographer, 
"that she never made the mistake of a single 
farthing in the accounts of large sums of money 
which she was obliged to keep ; and for her little 
personal necessities she made use of her own 
small income." 

But her fasts and other austerities were 
countless. It was her constant study to deny her 
senses all unnecessary gratification. Her humility 
and self-denial were admirable. Even while living 
in the world with her husband she made it a rule 
never to excuse herself when blamed by others. 
It was her constant request of God that His pure 
and holy love alone might reign in her heart. 
She took as her chief maxim the words of the 
Lord's Prayer — " Thy will be done on earth, as it is 
in heaven'' 



404 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" I see," she would say, " that whatever is good 
in myself, in any other creature, or in the saints 
is truly from God ; if, on the other hand, I do 
anything- evil, it is I alone who do it — nor can I 
charge the blame of it upon the devil or upon any 
other creature. It is purely the work of my own 
will, inclination, pride, selfishness, sensuality, and 
other evil dispositions ; and without the help of 
Almighty God I could never do any good action. 
So sure am I of this that if all the angels of heaven 
were to tell me I have something good in me, I 
should not believe them." 

Catherine often used the \v or o\ purity in her con- 
versation, and from her pure lips it fell with 
lovely grace. Her language was simple, noble, 
and beautiful. She wished that every conception 
and emotion of the mind should issue from it 
pure, undefined, and without the least complexity. 
It was impossible for her to feign a sympathy 
which she did not feel, or to condole with others 
out of friendship, except in so far as it really 
corresponded with her heart and affections. 

In this blessed soul everything was so well 
ordered and beautiful that wherever she had con- 
trol or could offer a remedy she could never en- 
dure any disorder. She would neither live nor 
converse with persons who were not well regu- 
lated. 

Her love for the Holy Communion was worthy 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 405 

of an angel. Once when at the point of death, so 
ill that she was unable to take any kind of nour- 
ishment, she said to her confessor : " If you would 
only give me my Lord three times, I would be 
cured." It was done, and her health was at once- 
restored. 

For nearly nine years before her death Cathe- 
rine suffered from a malady not understood by the 
physicians. It was not a bodily infirmity, nor did 
it seem to herself a spiritual operation. She was 
very weak. She ate little and suffered much. 4 

Yet her calm, noble countenance was the mir- 
ror of happiness. Many persons came from a dis- 
tance to see her and to recommend themselves to 

4 ,f There arrived from England," writes one of the Saint's bio- 
graphers, " a Genoese named Boerio, who had been for many 
years physician to the king of that country. He was surprised, 
when he heard of the fame of this holy lady, that she should speak 
of her infirmity as not natural and as requiring no medical reme- 
dy. Scarcely believing this report to be true, he obtained per- 
mission to visit her, and reproved her for the scandal she caused 
by rejecting medical aid— even accusing her of hypocrisy. To 
all this she humbly answered : ' It grieves me much to be the 
cause of scandal to any one, and if a remedy can be found for 
my disease I am ready to use it.' The physician, availing him- 
self of her consent and obedience, applied various remedies ; but 
at the end of twenty days, finding herself no better, she told him 
that she had submitted to his treatment in order to remove all 
scandal from his eyes and from the eyes of others, but that now 
he must leave the care of her soul to herself. . . . After this 
Boerio held her in great reverence, calling her ' mother ' and visit- 
ing her often." 



406 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 



her prayers. They beheld a being more divine 
than human — a lady with " Heaven in her soul and 
Purgatory in her agonized body." 

" She saw the condition of the souls in Purga- 
tory,'' writes her biographer, " in the mirror of her 
humanity and of her mind, and therefore spoke 
of it so clearly. She seemed to stand on a wall 
separating this life from the other, that she might 
relate in one what she suffered in the other." 

" So far as I can see," says the Saint, " the souls 
in Purgatory can have no choice but to be there. 
This God has most justly ordained by His divine 
decree. They cannot turn towards themselves 
and say : 

11 ' I have committed such and such sins, for which 
I deserve to remain here.' Nor can they say : 

" ' Would that I had refrained from them, for then 
I should at this moment be in Paradise. ' Nor again : 

" ' This soid will be released before me, or I shall be 
released before her.' 

" These souls retain no memory of either good 
or evil respecting themselves or others which 
would increase their pain. They are so content- 
ed with the divine dispositions in this regard, and 
in doing all that is pleasing to God in the way 
which He chooses, that they cannot think of them- 
selves, though they may strive to do so. 

" They see nothing but the operation of the 
divine goodness, which is so manifestly bringing 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 407 

them to God that they can reflect neither on their 
own profit nor on their own hurt. Could they do 
so, they would not be in pure charity. 

" They see not that they suffer pains in conse- 
quence of their sins, nor can they for a moment 
entertain that thought ; for should they do so, it 
would be an active imperfection, and that cannot 
exist in a state where there is no longer the pos- 
sibility of sin. 

" At the moment of leaving this life they see 
why they are sent to Purgatory, but never again, 
otherwise they would still retain something pri- 
vate which has no place there. Being established 
in charity, they can never deviate therefrom by 
any defect. They have no will or desire except 
the pure will of pure love, and can swerve from 
it in nothing. They can neither commit sin nor 
merit by refraining from it. 

" There is no peace to be compared with that 
of the souls in Purgatory, save that of the saints in 
Paradise, and this peace is ever increased by the 
inflowing of God into these souls. It increases in 
proportion as the impediments to it are removed. 

" The rust of sin is the impediment, and this the 
fire unceasingly consumes, so that the soul in this 
state is continually opening itself to admit the 
divine communication. As a covered surface can 
never reflect the sun, not through any defect in 
that orb, but simply from the resistance offered 



408 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 






by the covering-, so if the covering be gradually 
removed the surface will, by little and little, be 
opened to the sun and will more and more reflect 
the rays of light. 

11 It is thus with the rust of sin, which is the 
covering of the soul. In Purgatory the flames in- 
cessantly consume it, and as it disappears the soul 
reflects more and more perfectly the true Sun, 
who is God. As this rust wears away the soul 
grows in contentment ; it is laid bare to the divine 
ray, and as one increases the other decreases until 
the time is accomplished. The pain never dimin- 
ishes, although the time does ; but as to the will, 
so united is it to God by pure charity, and so sat- 
isfied to be under His divine appointment, that 
these souls can never say their pains are pains. 

" On the other hand, it is true that they suffer 
torments which no tongue can describe nor any 
intelligence comprehend, unless it be revealed by 
such a special grace as that which God has vouch- 
safed to me, but which I am unable to explain. 
And this vision which God has revealed to me has 
never departed from my memory." & 

6 " Treatise on Purgatory," chap. i. This is a beautiful work. 
It maybe found, together with her " Spiritual Dialogues," in the 
" Life of St. Catherine of Genoa," published by the Catholic Pub- 
lication Society, New York. 

11 Her ' Spiritual Dialogues ' and her ' Treatise on Purgatory,' " 
writes Father Hecker, C.S.P., in his learned introduction to her 
Life, " have been recognized by those competent to judge in such 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 409 

The Saint's long illness was a tedious martyr- 
dom. Day and night she was consumed by thirst, 
but could not swallow a drop of water. 6 For the 
last two weeks of her life she took nothing except 
the Holy Communion. Her mind, however, was 
clear to the last. " Into Thy hands, O Lord ! I 
commend my spirit/' she said, and gently expired 
at the age of sixty-three, on the 14th of Septem- 
ber, in the year 15 10. 

At the final moment her faithful physician was 
asleep, but awoke just as she departed. A voice 
whispered to him : " Rest in God. I am now go- 
ing to Paradise." 

It is related of the martyr St. Ignatius that on 

matters as masterpieces in spiritual literature. St. Francis of 
Sales, that great master in spiritual life, was accustomed to read 
the latter twice a year. Frederick Schlegel, who was the first to 
translate St. Catherine's ' Dialogues ' into German, regarded 
them as seldom if ever equalled in beauty of style ; and such has 
been the effect of the example of Christian perfection in our Saint 
that even the American Tract Society could not resist its attrac- 
tion, and published a short sketch of her life among its tracts, 
with the title of her name by marriage, Catherine Adorno." 

6 Only four days previous to the Saint's death ten physicians 
assembled "in order to ascertain if medical science could invent 
any remedy for her sufferings. After the most careful investiga- 
tion of her case, they decided that her condition was wholly pro- 
duced by supernatural causes and was beyond the reach of medi- 
cal skill. For all her bodily organs were in good order and 
showed no sign of infirmity ; and they took their leave, lost in 
wonder and recommending themselves to her prayers." — Life of 
St. Catherine. 



4-io Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

opening his heart there was found inscribed on 
it in letters of gold the adorable name of Jesus. 
The same sweet name ruled the pure heart of St. 
Catherine, was the inspiring motive of all her ac- 
tions, and in Heaven it is the reward of her bright 
and beautiful life. 7 

7 Her body was taken up eighteen months after her death and 
found without the least sign of putrefaction. From that time it 
was exposed aloft in a marble monument in the church of the 
hospital as the body of a saint, and was honored with the title of 
Blessed, which Pope Benedict XIV. changed into that of Saint, 
styling her in the martyrology St. Catherine Ficschi Adorno. — 
Butler. 



APOSTLE OJ? THE INDIES. 
DIED A.D. 1552. 




j|T. FRANCIS XAVIER, the prince of 
modern missionaries and one of the glo- 
ries of the sixteenth century, was born in 
1506 at the castle of Xavier, not far from Pampe- 
luna, in the north of Spain. His parents were 
pious, wealthy, and noble. The Saint was the 
youngest of a numerous family. 

From infancy Francis J was kind and attractive. 
He was naturally gifted, and early exhibited an 
intense love of study. Though all his brothers 
had embraced the profession of arms, he seemed 
to care only for books and learning. 

His parents wisely seconded his inclination, and 
at the age of eighteen he was sent to the Univer- 
sity of Paris. He was a hard-working, ambitious 
student. He aimed to conquer the world of 
knowledge ; and, on taking the degree of Master 
of Arts, he began to teach philosophy. 

When St. Ignatius came to continue his studies 

'Francis is from the French, and signifies /ra\ 



4 1 2 Little Lives of the Great Saints 

at the French capital, he made the acquaintance 
of Xavier. He was struck with the generous soul 
and fine qualities of the young professor, who 
seemed to have but one failing — his head was full 
of earthly ambition. 

These rare spirits were attracted to each other. 
Soon they became bosom friends. " What will it 
profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his 
own soul ? " said Ignatius one day, with gentle 
force, to his companion. He pointed out that 
such a noble soul ought not to confine itself to the 
vain honors of this earth. Celestial glory is the 
only object worthy of ambition. It is even con- 
trary to reason not to prefer that which is eter- 
nal to that which vanishes with the fleetness of a 
dream. 

This pointed reasoning made a deep impression 
on the ardent soul of Xavier; and, after a short 
interior struggle, grace completed the conquest. 
He became a soldier of the Cross. 

In 1534, on the feast of the Assumption, St. 
Ignatius and his six companions — one of whom 
was our Saint — made a vow at Montmartre, Paris, 
to visit the Holy Land, and unite their labors for 
the conversion of infidels ; but if this should not 
be found practicable, to cast themselves at the feet 
of the Vicar of Christ, and offer their services 
wherever he might wish to give them employ- 
ment. Xavier was ordained priest in 1537. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 413 

The great design, however, of converting the 
Holy Land had to be abandoned, and the new 
Society of Jesus' 1 found a wider sphere for its 
sublime mission. 

2 St. Ignatius, the glorious founder of the Society of Jesus, was 
born in 1491 at the castle of Loyola, in the north of Spain. His 
father was head of one of the most ancient and noble families of 
that country. Ignatius grew up to manhood a proud and aspir- 
ing soldier. He possessed military talents of a high order, and 
became known as an accomplished commander. In the storming 
of Pampeluna — which he defended against the French — the young 
Spanish nobleman received a severe wound that confined him to 
his sick-room. In this quiet seclusion he read — accidentally 
read — the lives of the saints. Grace touched his heart. New 
light flashed on his mind. The invincible soldier at once began 
to walk the way of the saints. This was just at the period when 
Luther, the apostate monk of Germany, finally threw off the 
mask and bade defiance to the Holy See. Ignatius of Loyola 
was then thirty years of age. His knowledge of books was 
scant. He could barely read and write. But with unequalled 
courage he entered on the pursuit of learning and virtue. Tak- 
ing the degree of Master of Arts, the valiant defender of Pam- 
peluna completed his course of theology, was ordained priest, 
gathered around him ten choice and learned young men animated 
by his own master-spirit, and formed them into a religious Order. 
The services of this company of youthful Christian heroes he 
placed at the disposal of the Pope. Among them were Francis 
Xavier, James Laynez, and Peter Faber. Pope Paul III. ap- 
proved the new Order in 1540 under the title of The Society of 
Jesus — the name given it by St. Ignatius himself. Such, in 
brief, was the origin of that wonderful religious body, which 
from its first years assumed the stature of a colossus, which has 
peopled heaven with saints, and filled the world with the re- 
nown of its name and its deeds. — Popular History of the Catholic; 
Church in the United States, p. 357. 



414 Little Lives of the Great Saiiits. 

At the request of the King of Portugal, two 
fathers were ordered to plant the faith in the 
East Indies. One of these was Francis Xavier. 
He received the benediction of the Pope, and, 
with a brief in his hand constituting him Aposto- 
lic Nuncio, he stepped with a light heart on board 
the chief vessel of a squadron that sailed from 
Lisbon on the 7th of April, 1 541. It was on that 
very day that he had completed his thirty-fifth 
year. 

When asked to accept the aid of a servant, he 
declined. He said he had the full use of his two 
hands, and that was enough. But when some 
one suggested that it was unbecoming to see 
an Apostolic Legate dressing his own food and 
washing his linen on deck, the Saint answered 
that he could give no scandal so long as he did 
no wrong. 

He arrived at the roadstead of Goa 3 in the 
month of May, 1542, after a long and dangerous 
voyage, during which he had excited in all the 
spirit of piety, courage, and cheerfulness. It was 
during this voyage that he first got the name of 
" Holy Father," which was ever after given him 
alike by Mohammedans, pagans, and Christians. 

Xavier landed, and spent the greater part of the 

3 Goa is still the capital of Portuguese India. It is situated on 
the western coast of Hindostan, and has a population of about 
five thousand souls. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 415 

first night in prayer. He wished to call down the 
blessing of Heaven on his coming labors. 

It was thus braced up with supernatural strength 
that he next day surveyed the vast, uninviting 
field. The state of religion in India 4 was truly 
deplorable. The name of Christian, beautiful and 
glorious in itself, had been degraded by the crimes 
of those who claimed to be Christians. Among 
the Portuguese traders and colonists all virtue 
seemed to be extinguished by revenge, ambition, 
avarice, and debauchery. There was a bishop at 
Goa, but his threats and exhortations were equally 
despised. 

But this moral darkness was soon dispelled. 
The great Jesuit addressed the merchants before 
preaching to the savages. " In the name of God," 
he exclaimed, " do you wish me to ask those peo- 
ple, who have no other fault than their blindness, 
to become like you, who are full of iniquity ? " 

After spending the mornings in assisting and 
comforting the unfortunate in the prisons and 
hospitals, he walked through the streets of Goa 
with a bell in his hand, imploring all masters for 
the love of God to send their children and slaves 

4 India, or the East Indies, is the finest part of Asia. It 
stretches from the Indus River in the west to the Cambodia 
River in the east, and from the Himalaya Mountains in the north 
to the Indian Ocean at the south. The larger part is embraced in 
what is now known as Hindostan. India has a vast population. 



41 6 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

to catechism. The little ones gathered about him 
in crowds, and the man of God led them to the 
church. He began every instruction with the 
Lord's Prayer and ended it with the Hail Mary. 
He taught them the Creed and various practices 
of devotion, and impressed on their tender minds 
the beauty of piety and religion. 

The modesty and devotion of the youth by de- 
grees changed the aspect of the whole town. The 
stifled voice of conscience began to be heard once 
more, and the most abandoned sinners sought the 
confessional. The Saint preached in public and 
visited private houses. His kindness and charity 
were irresistible, and in six months he accom- 
plished the conversion of Ooa. It was more than 
a miracle. 5 

Xavier was soon at Cape Comorin, 6 and entered 
Paravao by a miracle. A dying woman was cured 
by the mere touch of his crucifix, and thousands 
of the natives gathered around him, "listening 
to his signs," understanding his unknown lan- 
guage. 

He had presaged the magic of the Cross, and he 
now saw its prodigies. His crucifix preached for 

6 "To convert a Portuguese trading station in the Indies was 
more difficult — so contemporaries deemed it— than to conquer all 
barbarous India for the faith. " — FtvaVs Jesuit-. In this sketch 
of the Saint we draw freely on Feval's brilliant little work. 

6 Cape Comorin is the extreme southern point of Hindostan. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 417 

him while he was learning- the Malabar tongue, 
and many a day after he had acquired the lan- 
guage, when overcome by fatigue and incessant 
preaching, he would sound his famous little bell 
with one hand and raise the image of Christ in the 
other, and would thus be surrounded with the 
people of entire villages, who bent their heads 
under the saving waters of Baptism. 

It frequently happened to him — so great was his 
fatigue — that he could no longer raise his arm to 
pour the blessed water on the multitudes that 
came at the close of his rich day's toil. 

The pure heart of the great missionary swam in 
torrents of joy, and from his lips broke songs of 
gladness. He endured cold, heat, hunger, dis- 
ease. On the roads his naked feet were torn by 
thorns and briars, but he never complained. He 
enjoyed suffering. He kept on his way, tireless 
and resolute. On earth he walked as if already 
in heaven. 

His food was merely rice and water. His labors 
were incredible. It was a rare thing for him to 
sleep three hours at night, and a rarer thing to 
use a bed. His couch was the hard ground. In- 
stead of resting at night, he spent the time in- 
structing those who were to be his helpers, and 
sometimes a sudden stillness would come upon 
his simple audience. Every one held his breath. 
A merry, good-natured sign would be made from 



4 r 8 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

one to the other, as much as to say : " Keep quiet, 
don't waken him ! " 

This was because the " Holy Father," overcome 
by fatigue, had closed his eyes in spite of himself; 
and his sympathizing class — young savages who 
were learning to be martyrs — lengthened as much 
as they could the chance moments that relieved 
their beloved master from his unceasing round of 
labor. 

"The dangers to which I am exposed," he 
writes to St. Ignatius from the Isle del Moro, 
"and the pains I take for the interest of God 
alone, are the inexhaustible springs of my spiritual 
jo} r . These islands, bare of all worldly necessa- 
ries, are the places in the world for a man to lose 
his sight with excess of weeping. But they are 
tears of joy. I never remember to have tasted 
such interior delights; and these consolations of 
the soul are so pure, so exquisite, and so constant 
that they take from me all sense of my bodily 
suffering." Truly, to be a saint is something 
beautiful ! 

In our short sketch, we have no space to give 
even a summary of the wonders that marked the 
footsteps of St. Francis Xavier. He worked 
countless miracles. He raised many dead per- 
sons to life. We have room for only one instance. 
As the great Jesuit was one day preaching at 
Coulon, a village near Cape Comorin, he saw that 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 419 

his words fell on hearts of stone. He stopped 
and prayed that God would honor the name of 
His beloved Son. He then requested some of 
his obdurate hearers to open the grave of a man 
who had been buried the day before, near the 
spot where he preached. The body was begin- 
ning to putrefy, and gave forth a most disgusting 
smell — a fact which the Saint requested the by- 
standers to observe. He then fell on his knees 
and commanded the dead person, in the name of 
Almighty God, to arise. The man arose, and ap- 
peared not only living but vigorous and in perfect 
health. All present were so struck with this 
wonder that they threw themselves at the Saint's 
feet and demanded baptism. 

His mission grew with marvellous rapidity. He 
labored, and God blessed his labors. At the end 
of two years the crop of helpers that he had 
planted was almost ripe. At Goa, which was his 
headquarters, he founded a seminary. His first 
priests were now ready. To-day he can attempt 
what seemed impossible yesterday ; and now he 
penetrates still further and further, for he is no 
longer alone. At one place he baptized ten thou- 
sand persons with his own hands in a month. 7 

7 When this holy man first penetrated into the inland provinces 
of the Indians, being wholly ignorant of the language of the peo- 
ple, he could only baptize children and serve the sick, who, by 
signs, could signify what they wanted. Whilst he exercised his 



420 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

He establishes the faith at Malacca. He con- 
verts two kings in Ceylon. To him a journey of 
a thousand miles is nothing. 

Nor could his zeal be confined by the boundless 
regions of India. A mysterious finger points to 
Japan, and he hastens there, accompanied only by 
three missionaries. It was nine years since he 
had left Europe, and he had not rested a day. 

He learned the language of Japan, and miracles 
opened the way for the new doctrine. But slow 
was the progress of truth. The good seed fell on 
rocks; and even the dauntless Xavier for a mo- 
ment seemed disconcerted. He regretted having 
left India. Jt required all the valor of his resig- 
nation to harden himself for a work that seemed 
impossible. 

But where the saints pass, God passes with 
them. The great Apostle redoubled his efforts. 
Heaven listened to his sighs and tears and pray- 
ers, and, after two years of suffering that cost him 
his life, Xavier was master of Japan. 

Will he stop there? No. He will never stop. 
He changed his route. He turned his eyes towards 

zeal in Travancor, God first communicated to him the gift of tongues, 
according to the relation of a young Portuguese of Coimbra, 
named Vaz, who attended him in many of his journeys. He spoke 
very well the language of those barbarians without having learned 
it, and had no need of an interpreter when he instructed them. 
He sometimes preached to five or six thousand persons together 
in some spacious plain. — Butler, 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 421 

that great unknown — China. But before entering 
on this gigantic enterprise, he returned to Goa, 
where he tound that India numbered half a mil- 
lion of Christians. Well might he exclaim : 
" Glory be to God ! this is a fine harvest. Let 
us sow in other fields." And he embarked for 
China. 

But God was pleased to accept his will in this 
good work, and took him to Himself. He foretold 
his death. The voyage was a sorrowful one. The 
Saint labored hard, but at last he was overcome. 
After suffering great pain he was put ashore, in 
a dying condition, in a land that was not China. 
The blessed hero was surrounded by his weeping 
companions. Tears filled his eyes, he pressed his 
crucifix to his breast, and, with the light of heaven 
shining from his countenance, he passed to ever- 
lasting glory on December 2, 1552, saying: " In 
Thee, O Lord ! have I hoped ; I shall never be 
confounded." 8 He was canonized in 1662. 

8 "Though he was only forty-six years old," writes Butler, "of 
which he had passed ten and a half in the Indies, his continual 
labors had made him gray betimes ; in the last year of his life he 
was grizzled almost to whiteness. His corpse was interred on 
Sunday, being laid, after the Chinese fashion, in a large chest 
which was filled up with unslaked lime, to the end that, the flesh 
being consumed, the bones might be carried to Goa. On the 17th 
of February, 1553, the grave was opened to see if the flesh was 
consumed ; but the lime being taken off the face, it was found 
ruddy and fresh- colored — like that of a man who is in a sweet re- 



422 Little -Lives of the Great Saints, 

The heroic labors of St. Francis Xavier in India 

pose ; the body in like manner whole, and the natural moisture 
uncorrupted ; and the flesh being a little cut in the thigh, near 
the knee, the blood was seen to run from the wound. The sacer- 
dotal habits in which the Saint was buried were no way damaged 
by the lime ; and the holy corpse exhaled an odor so fragrant 
and delightful that the most exquisite perfumes came nothing 
near it. The sacred remains were carried into the ship, and 
brought to Malacca on the 22d of March, where it was received 
with great honor. The pestilence which for some weeks had laid 
waste the town, on a sudden ceased. The body was interred in a 
damp churchyard, yet in August was found entire, fresh, and still 
exhaling a sweet odor; and, being honorably put into a ship, was 
translated to Goa, where it was received and placed in the church 
of the College of St. Paul, on the 15th of March, 1554, upon which 
occasion several blind persons recovered their sight, and others, 
sick of palsies and other diseases, their health and the use of their 
limbs." — Lives of the Saints, vol. xii. 

In 1744 the Archbishop of Goa, attended by the viceroy, visited 
the relics of St. Francis Xavier. No disagreeable odor came 
from the body, and it seemed to be surrounded by a sort of illumi- 
nation. 

After Pontifical High Mass on the 3d of December, 1878, the 
body of St. Francis Xavier was taken from its rich shrine and 
exposed to public veneration in the presence of the Archbishop 
of Goa, three bishops, and an immense multitude of people. " I 
stood for a long time," says Bishop Meurin, " gazing at the head, 
the hands, the feet, for they alone were uncovered— a rich cha- 
suble embroidered with gold and pearls covering the rest of the 
body. I looked at him as others did three centuries ago, and 
stood convinced that this was the same body once the tabernacle 
of that noble and holy soul chosen by God for the salvation of 
millions and millions of souls. I kissed most reverently the feet 
of him who preached the Gospel of peace. . . . Nowhere any si- ns 
of decay." (See the Ave Maria of February 1, 1879.) 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 423 

and Japan were a repetition of the marvellous 
preachings of the first Apostles of Jesus Christ. 
His words were powerful. Each of his steps was a 
victory over the prince of darkness. In the short 
space of ten years he extended the Gospel over 
an area of nine thousand square miles, penetrated 
to regions never reached by the legions of Alex- 
ander, saved countless souls, and filled the world 
with the wonder of his miracles and the sublimity 
of his apostleship. 9 

9 There are three colleges and numerous churches in the United 
States bearing the name of St. Francis Xavier. 



wni lb vnn f 

FOUNDRESS OF THE REFORMED CARMELITES. 
DIED A.D. 1582. 




" O thou undaunted daughter of desires ! 
By all thy dower of lights and fires, 
By all of God we have in thee, 
Leave nothing of myself in me. 
Let me so read thy life that I 
Unto all life of mine may die." 

— Craskaw. 

T. TERESA, 1 one of the most noble wo- 
men and beautiful characters of modern 
times, was born at Avila, in Spain, on the 
28th of March, 15 15. Alphonsus Sanchez, her fa- 
ther, was a gentleman of great virtue, purity of 
heart, and high respectability; and her mother, 
Beatrice Ahumada, who suffered much from sick- 
ness, was a lady of uncommon goodness. 

At seven years of age Teresa found pleasure in 
reading the lives of the saints. Her mind was 
greatly impressed by the word eternity. " For 
ever, for ever, for ever," the sweet child would re- 

1 Teresa is from the Greek, and signifies carrying eats of corn. 
424 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 425 

peat, in thinking of the everlasting glory of the 
blessed. She would often retire to a secluded 
spot, and say her beads or some other prayers. 
She gave her little alms to the poor, and loved to 
do all the good in her power. 

When the Saint was only twelve years old, her 
mother died. It was a great blow. Grief crushed 
the heart of the tender girl. She threw herself on 
her knees, and, with bitter tears streaming down 
her face, she looked up to heaven, and besought 
the Immaculate Virgin to be to her a mother. 

The reading of romances 2 was the first ob- 

2 The old romances were simply extravagant works of fiction in 
which love-stories and the daring deeds of the heroes of chivalry 
were magnified to absurdity. Such works substituted falsehood 
for true history, a childish, idle amusement instead of solid in- 
struction, and tended to destroy in the mind that beautiful thirst 
after truth imprinted in it by the great Author of nature. In 
short, they inspired an unhappy love of trifles, folly, vanity, and 
nonsense. 

The vast multiplication of bad or useless works of fiction is 
one of the curses of our own age. " The greater part of the fiction 
now published and read." says an eminent writer, " has no other 
object than mere pleasure, and that of a very low kind. Novels 
of this sort have a debasing effect on the public mind. The read- 
ing of them is mere mental dissipation, unfitting the reader both 
for reading of a more elevated kind and for the active duties of 
life. I give it, too, as my opinion — the result of a long course 
of observation in a profession peculiarly fitted for such a purpose 
— that much and indiscriminate novel-reading has a most disas- 
trous effect upon the memory. Indeed, I am not sure that the 
debilitating effect upon the mental faculties is not a more serious 



426 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

stacle that seriously retarded Teresa's spiritual 
progress. "This fault," she writes, "failed not to 
cool my good desires, and was the cause of my 
falling insensibly into other defects — so enchanted 
was I with the extreme pleasure which I took in 
it that I thought I could not be content if I had 
not some new romance in my hands. I began to 
imitate the fashion, to take delight in being well 
dressed, to take great care of my hands, to make 
use of perfumes, and to affect all the vain trim- 
mings which my condition in life permitted. 

" There was nothing bad in my intention. I 
would not for the world, in the immoderate pas- 
sion which I had to be decent, give any. one an oc- 
casion of offending God. But I now acknowledge 
how far these things — which for several years ap- 
peared to me innocent — are effectually and really 
criminal." 

evil even than its relaxing influence upon the conscience and the 
moral sensibilities." 

It need scarcely be added, however, that there are good works 
of fiction — works written in the interest of religion and sound 
morality. Some of the best and brightest Catholic minds of the 
age have enriched this department of literature. But in the se- 
lection of all such works we cannot be too choice. Care and 
judgment are very necessary guides. Reading of this kind may, 
indeed, be quite proper as an occasional amusement, but as soon 
as it interferes with other duties, or becomes an occupation, it 
immediately assumes the form of an evil. Life is very short. 
The misspent hour never returns. Time is too precious to be 
wasted on trifles. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 427 

There is danger in worldly companions. This 
our Saint experienced. She laments her fami- 
liarity with a vain young lady, a first cousin of 
her own, whose manners and conversation had 
anything but a happy influence on the blossoming 
soul of Teresa. 

" Were I to give counsel to parents," says the 
Saint, " I would warn them to be well advised as 
to what persons are the companions of their chil- 
dren in that age, because the bent of our fallen 
nature inclines us rather to evil than to virtue. I 
found this myself. I profited nothing by the 
great virtue of one of my sisters, who was much 
older than I ; but I retained all the bad example 
given me by a relation who haunted our house." 

It is the mature opinion of the Saint herself 
that, only for romances and idle company, her 
early fervor would never have diminished, but, 
on the contrary, that she would have gone on 
increasing in the bright way of virtue. What 
a precious jewel is piety in the young heart! 
How easily lost! How carefully to be guarded! 

After finishing her studies at a convent, and 
suffering much from sickness, Teresa resolved to 
embrace the religious state. She entered the 
house of the Carmelite Nuns near Avila, and 
made her profession with great fervor at the age 
of twenty. For the next three years, however, her 
life was one ceaseless conflict with a complication 



428 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

of diseases which baffled all remedies. Her mind 
was oppressed with sadness. She was several 
times on the verge of the tomb. But a happy 
change came. The young nun was restored to 
perfect health through the intercession of St. 
Joseph, as she learned afterwards. 

Two years later her good father took sick, and 
this tender, affectionate daughter did all in her 
power to soothe his last days. She left her con- 
vent. She stood by his bed like a ministering 
angel, and, when death closed his eyes, Teresa 
prayed that the light of heaven might shine 
on his spirit. 

After over a quarter of a century spent in the 
religious state, the Saint was inspired by the Al- 
mighty to begin the work of reforming her Order. 
The Carmelite rule which had been drawn up by 
Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem, early in the thir- 
teenth century, was very austere. But after a 
time several relaxations were introduced. A 
mitigation of the rule was approved by Pope 
Eugenius in 143 1. 

At the convent near Avila, in which Teresa 
lived, other relaxations were tolerated. The 
visits of secular friends to the parlor were too 
frequent. This led to the loss of much precious 
time, and was often the cause of dissipation of 
mind and spiritual mischief, as the Saint herself 
experienced. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 429 

At first, the project of reform met with much 
opposition, and the Saint was slandered and per- 
secuted. During the erection of the new convent 
at Avila — built by funds given by her relatives — 
a little nephew of the Saint, named Gonzales, was 
accidentally crushed by a falling wall. Teresa 
took him in her arms, prayed to God, and in 
a few moments restored him in perfect health to 
his mother. 

The boy would often tell his holy aunt after- 
wards that it was her duty to secure his salva- 
tion by her prayers and instruction, as it was 
owing to her intervention that he was not long 
ago in heaven. He lived a pious life, and died 
happily soon after the Saint herself. 

In 1562 Teresa and four fervent nuns from the 
old house entered the new convent. The estab- 
lishment was confirmed by a papal brief from 
Rome. Much against her own will, the Saint 
was obliged to take the charge of governing. 

The restored rule was marked by an austere 
poverty. The nuns wore habits of coarse serge, 
sandals instead of shoes, lay on straw, and never 
ate flesh-meat. They fasted eight months in the 
year, recited the Canonical Office, and offered up 
their prayers and other good works for the bene- 
fit of souls, and particularly for those who labor- 
ed in the vineyard of Christ. 

Despite great opposition, houses of the re- 



43 o Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

formed Order arose in various cities. The Saint 
began a new edifice at Toledo, with only four or 
five ducats in her pocket. " Teresa and this mo- 
ney," she said, " are indeed nothing; but God, 
Teresa, and these ducats suffice for the accom- 
plishment of the undertaking." 

It was in the same city that a young lady of 
high reputation asked to be admitted to the Or- 
der. " I will bring my Bible with me," she add- 
ed. " What! " exclaimed our great Saint, " your 
Bible? Do not come to us. We are poor wo- 
men who know nothing but how to spin and to 
do what we are told." This was meant as a re 
buke to the vanity and wrangling disposition of 
the applicant. It exhibits the keenness and happy 
penetration of St. Teresa, for the woman after- 
wards fell into many extravagances. 

The Saint tells us that during her own early 
religious life she gave up mental prayer for a 
time. But she adds: "It was the worst and 
greatest temptation I ever had." 3 

3 St. Teresa wrote her own life in obedience to her confessor. 
It is a remarkable work. Among books of its class it holds the 
first place after the " Confessions " of St Augustine. She also 
wrote "Book of Foundations," the "Interior Castle of the 
Soul," the " Waj of Perfection," and other works. Those named 
have been translated into English. She also wrote many letters, 
that exhibit her virtue, prudence, wit, and excellent judgment. 
" She discovers in her writings," says Baillet, a very reserved 
critic, " the most impenetrable secrets of true wisdom in what 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 431 

By mental prayer we learn truly to understand 
the way of heaven. It is the gate through which 
God reaches our souls. It is a treaty of friend- 
ship with the Almighty. An eminent spirit of 
prayer, founded in deep humility and perfect self- 
denial, was the sublime means by which God 
raised this holy Virgin to such an heroic degree 
of sanctity. Following the advice of a wise and 
learned Jesuit father, she made a meditation every 
day on some part of the sacred Passion of Jesus 
Christ. 

" I do not see how God can come to us, or en- 
rich us with His graces," says the Saint, " if we 
shut the door against Him. Though He is in- 
finitely desirous to communicate all His gifts, 

we call mystical theology, the key of which God has given to a 
very small number of His favored servants. This may some- 
what diminish our surprise that a woman without learning 
should have expounded what the greatest doctors never attain- 
ed. God in His wonders employs what instruments He pleases, 
and we may say that the Holy Ghost had the principal share in 
the works of St. Teresa " 

''It is authentically related," writes Butler, "that one night, 
whilst she was writing her meditation, a nun came into her cell, 
and sat by her a good while in great admiration, beholding her, 
as it were, in an enraptured state, holding a pen in her hand, 
but often interrupting her writing, laying down her pen, and 
fetching deep sighs ; her eyes appeared full of fire, and her face 
shone with a bright light, so that the nun trembled with awe and 
respect, and went out again without being perceived by the 
Saint." 



432 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

He will have our hearts to be found alone, and 
burning with a desire to receive Him. O Joy of 
the angels ! My Lord and my God ! I cannot 
think of conversing with Thee without desiring 
to melt like wax in the fire of Thy divine love, 
and to consume all that is earthly in me by lov- 
ing Thee. 

" How infinite is Thy goodness to bear with, 
and even to caress, those who are imperfect and 
bad ; to recompense the short time they spend 
with Thee, and, upon their repentance, to blot out 
their faults ! This I experienced in myself. I do 
not see why all men do not approach Thee, to 
share in Thy friendship." 4 

Though superior and foundress, St. Teresa 
chose the greatest humiliations that could be 
practised in her Order. If she pronounced a word 
with a false accent in reciting the divine office, 
she at once prostrated herself in penance. For 
the least fault she humbled herself. It was her 
pleasure after the office to steal into the choir 
and fold up the cloaks of the sisters. She served 
at table. She performed the lowest offices in the 
kitchen. She carefully swept the most filthy 
places in the yard. 

4 " Without meditation," says that great Doctor of the Church, 
St Alphonsus Liguori, " it is impossible to remain a long time 
in the grace of God." And again : " If you make meditation 
daily, you will certainly be saved." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 433 

But in these exterior employments, the eyes of 
her pure soul were fixed on heaven. To her 
every place was a sanctuary. All her actions 
were offered to God as a continual sacrifice of 
love and praise and humility. 

For years and years she mourned over the 
slight faults of her girlhood with the compunc- 
tion of a Magdalen. She remembered them with 
floods of tears. She set no bounds to her mortifi- 
cations. She chastised her delicate body by aus- 
tere fasts, long prayers, hair-shirts, and severe 
disciplines. It was this lofty spirit of penance 
that moved her to restore the Carmelite rule in 
all its original rigor. 

This noble woman suffered every kind of per- 
secution. At one period her very friends avoided 
her as one possessed by the devil. Others went 
so far as to call her a devil. But when assailed 
with the most outrageous slanders, she would 
say with a smile: "No music is so agreeable to 
my ears." 

" Do you think," said Christ to her in vision, 
" that merit consists in enjoying? No. It is in 
working and suffering and loving. He is most 
beloved on whom My Father lays the heaviest 
crosses — if these are borne and accepted with 
love. By what can I better show My love for 
you than by choosing for you what I chose for 
Myself?" 



434 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Her charity was tender and beautiful. She was 
the very soul of goodness. She had an extreme 
horror of detraction. She hated its very shadow. 
In her presence no one dared to make the least 
reflection on the faults of another. She always 
observed the golden rule of speaking of others in 
the same kind way that she would desire others 
to speak of herself. 

Nor was her great love of truth less admirable. 
If she heard one of her nuns repeat anything — be 
it ever so trifling — with the least alteration, she 
at once severely reprimanded the offender. She 
often said that no person could arrive at perfec- 
tion who was not a scrupulous lover of truth and 
simplicity. 

The Saint was singularly devout to the Blessed 
Sacrament. She used to say that one Communion 
properly made is enough to enrich the soul with 
all the treasures of grace and virtue. Her ardor 
in approaching the holy table was inexpressible. 

If God often tried His servant in order to puri- 
fy her virtue, He no less frequently favored her 
with celestial communications, which added new 
lustre to her glory. She was favored with visions 
and raptures. The soul sometimes raised the 
body into the air during these raptures. 

" When I had a mind to resist these raptures," 
writes the lovely Saint, " there seemed something 
of a mighty force under my feet. It raised me up. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 435 

I know not with what to compare it. All my re- 
sistance was of little use, for when our Lord wishes 
to do a thing- no power is able to withstand it. 

" The effects of the rapture are great. The 
mighty power of God is thus made manifest. . . . 
We must acknowledge that we have a superior, 
that these favors come from Him, and that of our- 
selves we can do nothing. The soul is greatly 
impressed with humility. 

" I confess it also produced great fear in me — 
which at first was extreme — to see that a massy 
body should be thus raised up from the earth. 
For though it be the Spirit that draws it up, and 
though it be done with great sweetness and de- 
light — if not resisted— yet our senses are not there- 
by lost. At least I was so perfectly in my senses 
that 1 understood I was then elevated. 

" There also seems so great a majesty in Him 
who can do this that it even makes the hair of 
the head stand on end, and there remains hi 
the soul a mighty fear of offending a God so 
powerful. But this fear is wrapped up in a bound- 
less love. . . . Such a favor also leaves in the soul 
a wonderful disengagement from all the things of 
this world." 6 

5 Bannes, a very learned theologian of the Order of St. Domi- 
nic, whose name is famous in the schools, and who was for some 
time confessor of St. Teresa, testified that the Saint one day in 
public, as she was raised in the air in the choir, held herself by 



43 6 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

This great lady was ever as simple as a child. 
" Do you see Teresa of Jesus ? " said her confessor, 
Father Alvarez, SJ. " What sublime graces has 
she not received of God ! Yet she is like the most 
tractable little child in relation to everything I 
can say to her." She obeyed her confessor as 
she would have done God Himself. 

The enchanting modesty of this holy virgin's 
countenance was a silent, sermon on the beauty of 
purity — a virtue which she preserved spotless 
from the cradle to the grave. When once asked 
for advice about impure temptations, she answered 
that she knew not what they meant. 

The Saint's noble and generous soul made her 
deeply grateful to all who did her the least ser- 
vice. Though the wonderful success of her en- 
terprises was owing to the blessing of God, and to 
the divine light which she drew down upon her 
actions by the sublime spirit of prayer, still she 
was doubtless a woman of rare natural gifts. 

some rails and prayed thus : " Lord, suffer not by such a favor a 
wicked woman to pass for virtuous." He mentions other in- 
stances in the public choir, but says that at her earnest request 
t lis never happened to her in public during the last fifteen years 
of her life. Richard of St. Victor teaches that raptures arise 
from a vehement fire of divine love in the will, or from excessive 
spiritual joy, or from a beam of heavenly light darting upon the 
understanding. — Butler. 

The Saint sometimes saw the adorable mystery of one God in 
th;ee Persons in a manner amazingly clear. 



■Little Lives of the Great Saints. 437 

Her temper was sweet and amiable. Her pure 
heart throbbed with the most tender affection. 
In early life the quickness of her wit and the rich- 
ness of her imagination, poised by an uncommon 
maturity of judgment, gained her the love and 
esteem of all her acquaintances. Nor did this 
charm of person and manners desert her in old 
age. To the end her prudence and address were 
admirable. Her gravity, modesty, graceful ways, 
and wise words were the delight of all with whom 
she conversed. She lived to see sixteen nunner- 
ies of her reformed Order established. 

When her last hour came, she kept repeating, 
until speech failed : " A contrite and humble 
heart, O God! Thou wilt not despise." And 
with these words on her lips the dear St. Teresa 
passed away on the 15th of October, 1582, at the 
age of sixty-seven years, forty-seven of which 
were entirely consecrated to Heaven. She was 
canonized in 162 1." 

6 There are churches in New York City, Brooklyn, Boston, St. 
Louis, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and various other places in our 
country bearing the name of St. Teresa. 

We have the holy daughters of St. Teresa in this Republic. 
The Carmelite Nuns were the first female religious who estab- 
lished themselves within the limits of the thirteen original States. 
In 1790 Father Charles Neale brought with him from Belgium to 
our shores four Carmelites, three of whom were Americans, the 
fourth an English lady. Thus one of the most austere orders in 
the Church was the earliest to naturalize itself in the young Re- 



43 8 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

public. The three American ladies were natives of Maryland, 
members of the Matthews family. They had made their religious 
profession in Belgium, with the hope of eventually establishing 
the Order in this country. Happily their hope was realized. 
They took possession of their humble convent in Charles County, 
Maryland, on October 15, 1790. In 1831 the nuns removed to 
Baltimore. At present they have two houses, one in Maryland, 
the other in Missouri, with thirty-one religious. A branch of the 
Baltimore establishment has lately been founded at Rimouski, 
Canada. The number of nuns in each convent is limited to 
twenty-one. See our " Popular History of the Catholic Church 
in the United States," pp. 398-9. 



7W.£ ILLUSTRIOUS PATRON OF YOUTH. 
DIED A.D. I59I. 




|UST eight years before the birth of St. 
Vincent de Paul, and while St. Francis 
de Sales was but a sweet little babe of 



seven months old, and the lovely St. Teresa was 
yet on earth, leading her nuns on the narrow path 
to heaven, there was born at the princely castle 
of Castiglione, 1 on the 9th of March, 1568, a child 
who was destined to be a brilliant mirror of purity 
and innocence, and the wonder of all succeeding 
ages. It was Aloysius Gonzaga. 2 

His father, the Marquis Gonzaga, was a Span- 

1 Situated in Lombardy, in the north of Italy. 

2 It is worthy of remark that a host of great saints was produced 
by the Catholic Church at the very period of the so-called Refor- 
mation. This alone is a solid refutation of the false charge of 
corruption which Protestants bring against the dear old Church 
— the mother of saints. The tree is known by its fruit. Titenty 
canonized saints adorned the period of Luther 's own lifetime. Among 
these were St. Catherine of Genoa, St. Francis Xavier, and St. 
Teresa. The short life of St. Aloysius cast a gleam of pure glory 
on the same century. 

439 



44-0 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

ish prince, and his mother belonged to a noble 
and distinguished family. It is said that the 
child — her first-born — was the fruit of his mother's 
pious prayers. She besought the Almighty to 
grant her a son who would consecrate his life to 
the service of his Creator. God was pleased at 
the request of the good lady. Aloysius was the 
answer to her tender petition. 

As may easily be supposed, the marchioness 
watched over the education of little Aloysius and 
her other children with a motherly and religious 
solicitude. The first words he was taught to 
utter were the holy names of Jesus and Mary ; 
and the first action that he learned was to make 
the Sign of the Cross. His infant soul was thus 
early impressed with pious sentiments. 

Nor was the boy's wealth of goodness a hidden 
jewel which it took a long time to discover. 
From the first his compassion for the poor was 
extraordinary. He gave away all his pocket- 
money to beggars. His manners were kind and 
amiable, and in praying he seemed like a little 
seraph. Thus in Aloysius age and grace grew 
together. Such bright and happy inclinations at 
the very dawn of life gave hopes that its meridian 
would be still more brilliant, and it was well 
argued that the bud which promised so well 
would not fail to produce in due season rare and 
admirable fruit. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 44 1 

His father — ignorant of the designs of Provi- 
dence — desired to train up Aloysius for the mili- 
tary profession. He furnished the child with 
little guns, pikes, and swords. The marquis even 
carried him, while but four years of age, to Cas- 
cal, where he had assembled a division of the 
army. Here he was delighted to see the boy 
carry a little pike and march before the ranks. 

It was during his stay at Cascal that Aloysius, 
thrown amid the rude, vicious society of army 
officers, picked up some unbecoming words, 
which, of course, he did not understand. On 
making use of them in the hearing of his tutor, he 
was at once rebuked. The child, however, must 
be excused from all blame, as he wanted both age 
and knowledge; but to the last day of his life he 
bewailed this fault as a subject of deep sorrow 
and humiliation. 3 Nor could he ever after en- 
dure the presence of any one who cursed or 
used improper or profane language. 

When he had reached the age of seven years,, 
reason came to the boy's aid in forming pious 
habits. He began to recite the Office of the 
Blessed Virgin every day. He said the Seven 
Penitential Psalms on his knees — a custom which 

3 "Cardinal Bellarmine, three other confessors, and all who 
were best acquainted with his interior," says Butler, " declared 
after his death their firm persuasion that he had never offended 
God mortally in his whole life." — Lives of the Saints, vol.. vi, 



44 2 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

he observed to the end. Thus, at a time when 
other children are scarcely able to distinguish 
between good and evil, our young Saint began 
to lay the foundations of that spiritual edifice 
which grew daily, and finally received its crown- 
ing glory beyond the stars. 

At the age of eight, Aloysius and his younger 
brother, Ralph, were placed at the court of the 
Grand Duke of Tuscany, that they might learn 
Latin, Italian, and various accomplishments suited 
to their rank. But none of these things inter- 
fered with his steady progress in virtue. He 
became exceedingly devout to the Blessed Vir- 
gin ; and his desire to imitate her celestial chas- 
tity induced him to make a vow of chastity. He 
kept it with marvellous fidelity. To such a de- 
gree did Heaven bestow upon him the perfection 
of this beautiful virtue that never in his whole life 
did he feel the least temptation against holy purity. 
This we have from the testimony of his confes- 
sors, the learned Father Platus, S.J., and the cele- 
brated Cardinal Bellarmine, S.J. 

But Aloysius cultivated this extraordinary 
grace by ceaseless prayer and mortification. His 
modesty was proverbial. He did not even know 
the faces of many ladies among his own relations 
with whom he frequently conversed. The lan- 
guage of this noble boy was the mirror of a 
spotless mind ; and from his every action there 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 443 

shone forth the grace and beauty that reigned 
within. 

He was the very soul of kindness and courtesy. 
Never did he speak to his servants in words of 
command. " Please do this," he would say; or, 
" You may do this " ; or, " If it be no trouble, you 
may do this." To his governor he was as obe- 
dient as a novice, and towards all he was affable 
and gentle. 

At the age of eleven his father removed him 
from Florence to Mantua. It was here that he 
first experienced the ravishing delight of a soul 
engaged in pious meditation. He found " how 
sweet is the Lord to those that love Him." He 
spent whole hours before a crucifix. Often he 
was so deeply absorbed in heavenly thought that 
his governor and attendants would enter the 
apartment and make a considerable noise, in or- 
der to attract his attention, without, however, 
causing him to make the smallest sign to show 
that he was at all aware of their presence. 

When the great St. Charles Borromeo paid a 
visit to Brescia, Aloysius went to receive his bless- 
ing. The cardinal was delighted with the young 
marquis, whom he advised to prepare for First 
Communion. He prepared with inexpressible 
diligence for this great and happy act. The day 
came. Aloysius received the Bread of Angels as 
one who shone with the beauty and brilliancy of 



444 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

another world. He was now twelve years of 
age. 

After several years of study, piety, and the 
practice of severe mortification, he resolved to 
consecrate his life entirely to Heaven. It was his 
desire to enter the Society of Jesus. When he 
told his mother, the good lady smiled with plea- 
sure, but his father was indignant. From all 
sides came difficulties. But the Saint prayed and 
confided in Heaven. He finally conquered, by his 
kindness, firmness, and humility, where he would 
have been defeated by an intemperate opposition. 

The old marquis at length gave his consent. 
" My dear son," said he, "your choice is a deep 
wound in my heart. 1 ever loved you, as you 
always deserved. In you I had founded the 
hopes of my family ; but you tell me God calls 
you another way. Go, then, in His name, 
wherever you please, and may His blessing every- 
where attend you." 

Aloysius now made over all his estates and 
lordly titles to his brother Ralph, and the af- 
fair was ratified by the emperor in 1585. When 
the day of departure came, his subjects crowded 
around, and sorrow was expressed in every coun- 
tenance. The Saint bade them all farewell, say- 
ing : "I seek nothing but the salvation of my 
soul ; may you all do the same." 

On arriving at Rome he paid his respects to 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 445 

the Pope, and at once sought the novitiate. He 
was scarcely eighteen years of age. When he was 
conducted to his cell he entered it as a paradise. 
" This is my rest for ever," he exclaimed in the 
words of the prophet; "here will I dwell, for I 
have chosen it." 

He was now hidden amid that silence and re- 
tirement peculiar to a religious life. He was 
daily preparing for himself a crown of glory both 
here and hereafter. But, like a brilliant diamond 
in the dark, he shone not the less brightly in his 
new solitude and obscurity. 

The bud which had opened with such early 
promise did not fail, as we have seen, to produce 
fruit in due season; and as its opening had been 
in advance of its fellows, so it maintained the start 
which it had obtained, until it gave rich indica- 
tions of a premature but full and perfect growth. 

The angelic life which Aloysius led among men 
rendered him worthy to be called away at an early 
age to the mansions of the blessed. It was re- 
vealed to him one day, while saying his morn- 
ing prayers, that in a year from that time the call 
would come. He was then finishing his studies 
in theology. 

Not long after this a deadly pestilence swept 
over Rome. The Saint devoted himself to the 
service of the sick and dying. Like a ministering 
angel he passed through the wards of the hospital. 



446 Little Lives 0/ the Great Saints. 

He exhorted the poor patients, washed their feet, 
made their beds, changed their clothes, and per- 
formed the most loathsome offices with inexpres- 
sible tenderness. But he soon fell sick himself, 
and joy shone over his youthful countenance. 
The promised hour was coming. He received 
the last Sacraments, and, after murmuring the 
holy name of Jesus, the beautiful soul of Aloysius 
Gonzaga winged its flight to that heavenly home 
where — 

" From even- eye is wiped the tear, 
All sighs and sorrows cease ; 
No more alternate hope and fear, 
But everlasting peace." 

His happy death took place on the 21st of June, 
1 591, in the twenty-fourth year of his age. He 
was canonized by Benedict XIII. in 1726. 4 

4 About two years before his conversion to the Catholic faith, 
the celebrated Father Faber was at Rome. An incident of the 
visit is thus recounted by his biographer : " Again, after praying at 
the shrine of St. Aloysius on the feast of that Saint, he (Faber) left 
the church as if speechless, and not knowing where he was going. 
He said afterwards that he saw then that he must within three 
years either be a Catholic or lose his mind. After his reception 
he told Dr. Grant that on the 21st of June, St. Aloysius had always 
knocked very hard at his heart." — Boxvden, Life and Letters of 
Frederick William Faber, D.D. 

There is scarcely a single diocese in the United States that has 
not a number of churches or religious institutions bearing the 
name of St. Aloysius. He is the patron of Gonzaga College, 
Washington, D. C. 



BISHOP OF GENEVA, AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH. 
DIED A.D. l622. 




fRANCIS l DE SALES, the light of his 
age, and the favorite saint of modern 
times, was born on the 21st of August, 
1567, at the castle of Sales, in Savoy. 2 His father 
was a nobleman of wealth and high rank, and his 
mother a lady of uncommon virtue. Francis was 
the eldest of a numerous family. 

Under his mother's tender care he grew up a 
beautiful boy, with a countenance of exquisite 
sweetness. She taught him to pray, to visit the 
poor, and to read the lives of the saints. Even at 
that early age he was the soul of Christian honor. 
It is said that in such horror did he hold a lie 
that he would suffer any punishment rather than 
be guilty of such a disgraceful offence. 

Francis was first sent to the college of La 

1 Francis is from the French, and signifies/^. 

2 Savoy is now a part of France; it was formerly a division of 
the kingdom of Sardinia. 

447 



448 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Roche, and afterwards to that of Annecy. He 
was an early riser and a hard student. Among 
his young companions he was noted for superior 
manliness and kind, graceful deportment. At 
the age of eleven he obtained permission from 
his father to receive tonsure, having at that early 
period decided to enter the sacred ministry. 

In 1580 he was sent to pursue his studies at 
Paris. He entered the college of the Jesuits, and 
for five years, under some of the most famous Fa- 
thers of that time, he stored his mind with the 
treasures of learning and literature. But in the 
pursuit of knowledge, Francis never lost sight of 
piety and virtue. lie prated much, visited the 
churches, practised many austerities, and never 
failed to carry about him his favorite book, " The 
Spiritual Combat.*' 

It was during his studious career in the gay 
capital of France that the young Saint was 
assailed by a terrible temptation. Suddenly a 
cloud of darkness overspread his soul. He grew 
melancholy. Something seemed to whisper that 
he was no longer in the state of grace, and that he 
would be lost for ever. A feeling of dread crept 
over him. The evil one said: "In vain are all 
the good works of De Sales. He is already a 
child of perdition ! " 

Francis struggled manfully. He ceased not to 
pray, but the temptation still remained. He could 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 449 

neither eat nor sleep, and soon wasted away to a 
mere skeleton. But at length the great cross 
vanished as suddenly as it came. One day he 
entered the church of St. Stephen and knelt down 
before an image of the Blessed Virgin. Near by, 
on a tablet, was inscribed the famous prayer of 
St. Bernard, the " Memorare." The noble and 
sorely-tried student repeated it with great emo- 
tion. He tearfully implored that it might please 
God to restore his peace of mind through the in- 
tercession of the Immaculate Mary. He then 
made a vow of perpetual chastity, and all at once 
he was surrounded oy the brightness of celestial 
joy. He left the church with his mind in a state 
of sweet calmness. He had received that peace 
which the world could not give, and to the last 
day of his life it never again deserted him. 3 

The young nobleman was now eighteen years 
of age. ■ His father recalled him from Paris and 
sent him to the University of Padua to study law. 

3 " No man," says A Kempis, " is so perfect and holy as not 
sometimes to have temptations, and we cannot be wholly with- 
out them. Temptations are often very profitable to a man, al- 
though they be troublesome and grievous ; for by them a man is 
humbled, purified, and instructed. All the saints have passed 
through many tribulations and temptations, and have profited by 
them ; and they who could not support temptations have become 
reprobates and fell off. There is not any Order so holy nor place- 
so retired where there are not temptations or adversities." — Imi- 
tation of Christ. 



450 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

It was while here that he placed himself under 
the spiritual direction of the famous Jesuit, Father 
Possevinus. Francis completed his studies with 
brilliant distinction. The degree of Doctor of 
Laws was conferred upon him with such unusual 
ceremony as to show that he was looked upon as 
the very brightest ornament of the university. 
This took place on September 5, 1 591, when he 
was twenty-four years of age. 

After a visit to Rome and the Holy House of 
Loretto, Francis returned to the family mansion. 
He was now a finished gentleman and one of the 
most learned jurists in Europe, and at his father's 
urgent desire he allowed himself to be called to 
the bar. He was appointed advocate in the su- 
preme court of Savoy. It was not his own choice. 
The highest honors of the state lay open before 
him, but he desired them not. He wisely wish- 
ed, however, to overcome difficulties by degrees. 
He prayed for light and waited for some favora- 
ble opportunity. 

It came. He gently and firmly made his deci- 
sion known in relation to his entering the sacred 
ministry. His father was deeply grieved, but 
finally yielded with the best grace possible ; and 
the kind-hearted old noble gave his blessing to 
that richly-gifted son who wished to live only for 
Heaven, and who was destined to confer an im- 
mortal renown on the house of De Sales. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 451 

Francis was raised to the dignity of the priest- 
hood on the 18th of December, 1593. It was a 
day of joy in the city of Annecy. He was then 
twenty-six years of age. From the first he led a 
most active missionary life. The Bishop of Ge- 
neva sent him to preach in the neighboring towns 
and villages, and great was the success that at- 
tended his sermons. The word of God fell from 
his lips with inexpressible modesty and majesty. 

His father thought that the young priest 
preached too often. " I had the best father in 
the world," said the great Saint many years after 
to the Bishop of Bellay, " but he had passed a 
great part of his life at court and in military ser- 
vice, the maxims of which he knew better than 
theology. While I was provost I preached on 
every occasion in the cathedral as well as in the 
parish churches, and even in the humblest con- 
fraternities. I knew not how to refuse, so dear to 
me was that word of our Lord, ' Give to every 
one that asketh of thee.' 

" My good father, hearing the bell ring for the 
sermon, asked who preached. They replied : 
' Who should it be but your son ?' One day he 
took me aside and said : ' Provost, you preach too 
often. Even on working days I hear the bell 
ringing for the sermon, and they always say to 
me, It is the Provost, the Provost. It was not so in 
my time. Sermons were much more rare ; but 



452 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

what sermons they were ! God knows they were 
learned and well studied. The preachers spoke 
wonders. They quoted more Latin and Greek in 
one sermon than you do in ten. Everybody was 
delighted and edified. People ran to them in 
crowds, and you would have said they were going 
to gather manna. Nowadays you make this exer- 
cise so common that nobody regards it and no 
value is set on you.' 

" Do you see," continued the Saint, " this good 
father spoke as he understood, and with all free- 
dom. He spoke according to the maxims of the 
world, in which he had been brought up, but of an- 
other stamp altogether are the evangelical max- 
ims. Jesus Christ, the mirror of perfection and 
the model of preachers, did not use all these cir- 
cumspections any more than the Apostles who fol- 
lowed in His footsteps. Believe me, we can never 
preach enough." 4 

At this time Geneva was the head-centre of 
Calvinism. This grim heresy had spread widely, 
and, among other neighboring districts, it had 
taken violent possession of the duchy of Cha- 
blais. After a time, however, Duke Charles of 
Savoy, a Catholic, recovered the territory. He 
desired to re-establish the ancient faith, and for 
that purpose wrote to the Bishop of Geneva. 

* The holy Doctor, however, did not approve of long sermons. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 453 

But nobody wished to undertake the perilous 
mission to such a land of fanatics. All seemed 
terrified at the difficulties. Francis alone offered 
himself for the work, and he was soon joined by 
his first cousin, Louis de Sales. 

The Saint and his companion, amid great opposi- 
tion, set out on the 9th of September, 1594. They 
travelled on foot. Except two Breviaries, a Bible, 
and Bellarmine's " Controversies," no books were 
carried. On coming to the new field of toil and 
danger they beheld a beautiful land covered with 
ruins. The rude, destroying hand of the so- 
called Reformation had passed over church and 
castle and monastery. 

The mission was opened at the town of Tho- 
non. But seven Catholic families were found at 
that place. Fanaticism soon grew alarmed, and 
the ministers even clamored to have the mission- 
aries publicly whipped. It was all up-hill work 
— slow, dreary, and dangerous. The Saint's ser- 
mons were often attended by only three or four 
Calvinists. But day after day he continued to 
labor, with manly energy and angelic sweet- 
ness. 

There was everything to contend against. The 
people were stupid, indifferent, and superstitious. 
The ministers tried to impress their blinded 
flocks with the idea that the priests were wiz- 
ards. On one occasion a fanatic — afterwards 



454 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

converted — made three attempts to shoot the 
Saint, but failed. 

In spite, however, of want, hunger, opposition 
from home, and various attempts at assassination, 
he continued his apostolic mission. After a time 
the Jesuits, 'Franciscans, and others came to his 
aid, and in a few years the religious conquest of 
this charming region was complete. The ancient 
faith was restored. It is computed that Francis 
de Sales thus brought seventy-two thousand souls 
into the Catholic Church. 

" I think I can confute the Calvinists," said 
the famous Cardinal Perron ; " but to persuade 
and convert them you must bring them to the 
Coadjutor of Geneva." 6 

On the death of the good old Bishop of Geneva, 
our Saint prepared for his consecration by a re- 
treat of twenty days. He made a general con- 
fession. The ceremony took place in the pres- 
ence of his mother and a vast concourse of dis- 
tinguished people, on the 8th of December, the 
Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 1602. 

St. Francis now entered on that career which 
makes him such an illustrious figure in the history 
of the Church. His plan of life was simple. He 
never wore silks. He made his visits on foot. 
Everything in his household was plain but ele- 

6 Our Saint. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 455 

gant. He kept for himself a little, dark, poorly- 
furnished apartment, which he playfully called 
the room of "Francis" — the others being the 
rooms of "■ the Bishop." 

Ceaseless was his watch over the flock commit- 
ted to his charge. He took care to place only 
good priests in his parishes. He gave an impulse 
to sound education, the study of catechism, and 
simplicity in preaching. He corrected abuses, re- 
formed convents, and guided many in the path of 
virtue. He shone like a great light. In short, 
he was a Bishop of bishops. 

The Saint was meek and kind to all, but his 
affection for the members of his own family was 
something truly beautiful. Never was this more 
touchingly shown than at the death of his young- 
est sister, Jane — a sweet girl who passed to a bet- 
ter world at the age of fifteen. 

" You may think," he writes to a friend, " how 
heartily I loved this little girl. I had begotten 
her for her Saviour, for I had baptized her with 
my own hand over fourteen years ago. She was 
the first creature on whom I exercised my priest- 
ly office. I was her spiritual father, and I pro- 
mised myself much to make something good of 
her one day." 

The holy Bishop was soon called to his mother's 
deathbed. She was a lady whose pure, lofty cha- 
racter shone out to the last. In her trembling 



456 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

hands she held a crucifix, and kissed it even when 
her eyesight had gone. When Francis arrived at 
the couch of his dying parent, she knew him at 
once, although oppressed with blindness. She 
caressed him, saying : " This is my son and my 
father — this one." 

All her family knelt around. She breathed her 
soul to God. " The great prelate then had cour- 
age," writes his brother, Charles A. de Sales, 
"after having given her his holy benediction, to 
close her lips and eyes, and to give her the last 
kiss of peace. After that his heart swelled very 
much, and he wept over that mother more than 
ever he had done since he became a churchman. 
But it was without spiritual bitterness, as he 
afterwards protested. He rendered her the fune- 
ral honors and duties, and her body was placed 
to rest in the tomb of Sales at the church of 
Thorens." 

Only another year passed away, and the Saint 
mourned the loss of his good old preceptor, 
the Abbe Deage, whose declining years he had 
soothed with truly filial tenderness. The first 
time he said Mass for the repose of the abbe's 
soul, on reaching the " Our Father " he was so 
overcome by the recollection that it was the old 
priest who had first taught him to say the same 
prayer, that he was unable to proceed for some 
time. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 457 

With the aid of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, a 
gifted lady whom he had long- directed in the 
way of virtue, the holy Doctor founded the Order 
of Visitation Nuns in 1610. Eight years later it 
became a regular monastic body by virtue of a 
bull from Pope Paul V. 6 

His famous " Introduction to a Devout Life " 
was published in 1608, and his great " Treatise on 
the Love of God " in 1616. 7 

We have but space to glance at the apostolic 
labors of his last }^ears. Popes and monarchs 

6 Teaching is the great object of the pious and accomplished 
Nuns of the Visitation. At the present time they have eighteen 
academies for young ladies in the United States. See " Popular 
History of the Catholic Church in the United States," pp. 399- 
401. 

7 Taken with his " Letters," these are his chief works. The 
" Introduction to a Devout Life" is an unrivalled manual of in- 
struction for all who are endeavoring to lead a pious life in the 
world. Though a small book, it omits nothing, and is filled with 
the sweet, cheerful, and beautiful spirit of the holy Doctor. 

The " Treatise on the Love of God " is his greatest work. It 
seems to have been written during periods of inspiration. It is 
a mine of thoughts, rich, sublime, and beautiful. " In it," says 
Butler, " he paints his own soul. He describes the feeling senti- 
ments of divine love, its state of fervor, of dryness, of trials, suf- 
fering, and darkness — in explaining which he calls in philosophy 
to his assistance. He writes on this sublime subject what he had 
learned by his own experience. Some parts of this book are only 
to be understood by those souls who have gone through these 
states." 

His " Letters " form a treasury of piety and practical wisdom. 



458 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

sought his advice. His light shone far beyond 
the limits of his own diocese. In 1618 he visit- 
ed Paris, and all regarded him with admiration. 
It was here that he made the personal acquaint- 
ance of St. Vincent de Paul, whom the holy Doc- 
tor was in the habit of styling " the worthiest 
priest he had ever known," and under whose di- 
rection he placed a community of the Visitation, 
which he established in the capital of France. 

Not long before his death the Saint made a 
journey to Avignon. While at Lyons an inci- 
dent occurred that is worthy of recounting as an 
example of his kind and gentle manners. As he 
was boarding a vessel the boatman refused to re- 
ceive him without his passport. His attendants 
grew angry, but the Bishop remarked : " Let him 
alone. He knows his business as boatman, and 
fulfils it. We don't know that of travellers." 

Exposed to a bitter cold wind — it was in No- 
vember — he had to wait an hour for the passport, 
but he showed a calmness which diffused itself 
over his irritated followers. At last they got on 
board. The Bishop went and sat near the boat- 
man who had been tiresome, saying : u I wish to 
make friends with this good man, and to talk to 
him a little about our Lord." 

But the end was rapidly coming. The great 
Doctor suffered from weakness of the chest and 
violent pains in the head and stomach. Still, he 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 459 

never rested. He was an intrepid laborer. The 
energy of his soul rose superior to the decay of 
his body. In his last hours he was attended by 
some Jesuit Fathers under whom he had studied 
at Paris. " You find me in a condition," he whis- 
pered to his confessor, Father Possevinus, " in 
which I stand in need of nothing but the mercy 
of God. Obtain it for me by your prayers." He 
sank gradually. All present knelt down. The 
prayers for the dying were recited, and as " All 
ye Holy Innocents, pray for him " was repeated 
the grand and innocent soul of the illustrious St. 
Francis de Sales bade adieu to the scenes of this 
world. It was the Feast of the Holy Innocents, 
December 28, 1622. 8 

Many are the anecdotes related of the sweet- 
ness, charity, simplicity, and wonderful judgment 
of this great Bishop. 9 A young man was once 
brought to him for the purpose of receiving a 
severe reprimand ; but the Saint spoke to him 
with his habitual kindness. Seeing the youth's 
hardness, however, he shed tears, remarking that 

8 He was canonized in 1665 by Pope Alexander V1L, who as- 
signed the 29th of January for his festival. Many miracles were 
wrought at his tomb, among others the raising of two dead per- 
sons to life. 

9 A full and most charming picture of the Saint and his con- 
versations is to be found in the " Spirit of St. Francis de Sales," 
by Bishop Camus, of Bellay. It is one of the most entertaining 
works in the whole range of biography. 



460 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

such a hard, unyielding heart would bring him to 
a bad end. 

He was told that the young man had been 
cursed by his mother. " Oh ! this is sad indeed," 
he exclaimed. " If the poor woman is taken at 
her word, in vain will she afterwards curse her 
own curse. Unhappy mother of a still more 
wretched son! " 

It was a true prophecy. Not long after the 
wayward youth perished in a duel, and his 
mother died of grief. 

Some found fault with the Saint for having 
been too gentle in his reproof on this occa- 
sion. "What would you have me do?" he 
asked. " I did my best to arm myself with an 
anger free from sin. I took my heart in both my 
hands, and I had not the resolution to throw it at 
his head. But, indeed, I was afraid of letting 
that little drop of meekness — which has cost me 
the toil of twenty-two years to store up like dew 
in my heart — to run off in a quarter of an hour. 
The bees are several months making a little honey 
which a man will swallow down at a mouthful. 

"Besides," he continued, " what is the use of 
speaking when we are not listened to? This 
young man was blind to remonstrances, for the 
light of his eyes — I mean his judgment — was not 
with him. I should have done him no good, and 
myself, perhaps, much harm — like one who is 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 461 

drowned in his attempt to save another. Charity 
must be wise and prudent." But it was seldom 
indeed that the heart of the sinner was proof 
against the gentleness of Francis de Sales. 

" Disputes on religious matters," says Bishop 
Camus, ''were very disagreeable to him, espe- 
cially at table and after dinner. These were 
not, he said, bottle topics. I replied one day, taking 
up his expression, that if a bottle of that kind was 
occasionally broken it would give forth the lamp 
of truth, which is all fire and flame. ' Yes, in- 
deed,' he answered, ' fire and flames of anger 
and altercation, which yield only smoke and 
blackness, and very little light.' " 

When in society, if the Saint heard any one 
throwing ridicule on another, his countenance 
immediately testified to his dislike of the conver- 
sation. He would introduce another topic to 
create a diversion, and, when he could not succeed 
by this method, he would rise and say: 

" This is trampling too much on the good man. 
It passes all reasonable bounds. Who gives us 
the right to amuse ourselves in this way at the 
expense of others ? Should we like to be treated 
thus, and have ail our foibles dissected by the 
razor of the tongue ? To bear with our neighbor 
and his imperfection is a great perfection, and it 
is a great imperfection to cut him up in this way 
by ridicule." 



462 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

One day a young lady, in his hearing, was 
amusing herself by quizzing another's want of 
beauty, and was laughing at some natural blemish- 
es with which she had been born. The great Doc- 
tor quietly observed that it was God who had 
made us, and not we ourselves; and that His 
works are perfect. But the lady was so foolish as 
to laugh still more at his saying that all God's 
works are perfect. " Believe me," he said, " her 
soul is most upright, beautiful, and well propor- 
tioned. Be satisfied that I know this for certain ." 
The fair quizzer grew silent. 

He disliked complaining. " One day," writes 
Bishop Camus, " I was complaining to our Saint 
of some grievous wrong that had been done me. 
The thing was so very manifest that he agreed to 
the truth of what I said. Finding myself so 
strongly supported, I felt triumphant, and grew 
very eloquent in dwelling upon the justice of my 
cause. The Saint, to put a stop to all this super- 
fluous discourse, observed: 

" ' It is true that they were in every way to 
blame for treating you in this manner. Such con- 
duct was quite unworthy of them, particularly to- 
wards a man of your position. I see but one cir- 
cumstance in the whole affair to your disadvan- 
tage.' 

'" What is that?' T asked. 

"'That you have but to show your superior 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 463 

wisdom by holding your tongue,' said the great 
Saint. 

" This answer so struck me that I was silent at 
once, and had not a word to offer in reply." 

On a certain occasion a person, more talkative 
than discreet, expressed surprise that a distin- 
guished lady of great piety, who was under the 
holy Bishop's direction, had not even left off wear- 
ing ear-rings. 

" I assure you," he replied, " I do not so much 
as know whether she has any ears ; for she comes 
to confession with her head so completely covered 
up, or with a great scarf so thrown over it, that I 
do not know how she is dressed. Besides, I believe 
that the holy woman Rebecca, who was quite as 
virtuous as she is, lost nothing of her holiness by 
wearing the ear rings which Eliezer presented 
her on the part of Isaac." 

He disapproved of unwise austerities. He was 
once consulted on the introduction of bare feet into 
a religious house. " Why don't they leave their 
shoes and stockings alone ? " replied the great 
Saint. " It is the head that wants reforming, not 
the feet!" 

He was an ardent lover of simplicity, often say- 
ing that he " would at any time give a hundred 
serpents for one dove." " He labored," writes 
Bishop Camus, " not only to banish the pest of 
singularity from religious houses, but also to lead 



464 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

those persons who make a profession of devotion 
in the world to avoid it. He said that this defect 
rendered their piety not only offensive but ridi- 
culous. 

" He wished people to conform externally, as 
much as possible, to the mode of life of those 
who follow the same profession, without affecting 
to make themselves remarkable by any singu- 
larity. He pointed to the example of our Sa- 
viour, who in the days of His mortal life was 
pleased to make Himself in all things like his 
brethren, sin only excepted. 

" The Saint was most careful to practise this 
lesson in his own person; and during the fourteen 
years that I was under his guidance, and studi- 
ously observed his behavior, and even his most 
trifling gestures as well as his words, I never 
perceived anything in him the least approaching 
to singularity. 

11 He often told me that our outward demeanor 
ought to resemble water, which, the better it is, 
the clearer, the purer from admixture, and the 
more devoid of taste it is. Nevertheless, al- 
though there was nothing of singularity in him, 
he appeared to me so singular in this very thing 
of having no singularity in him, that everything 
in him was in my eyes singular." 

Though St. Francis was " meek and humble of 
heart," it was not his habit to use expressions of 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 465 

humility in speaking of himself. He avoided 
such language. He regarded it as one of the 
gulfs in which that virtue is apt to suffer ship- 
wreck. He so strictly adhered to this practice 
that nothing but stringent necessity ever led him 
to say good or evil of himself, even in the most 
indifferent matters. 

He sometimes said that it was as difficult a feat to 
speak of one's self as to walk along a tight-rope ; 
and that a strong balance as well as wonderful 
circumspection was requisite to avoid a fall. He 
did not like to hear people talking very humbly 
of themselves, unless their words proceeded from 
a thoroughly sincere inward feeling. He said 
that such words were the quintessence, the cream, 
the elixir of the most subtle pride. The truly 
humble man does not desire to appear humble, but 
to be humble. 

" I have known," says Bishop Camus, " great 
servants of God whom nothing could have in- 
duced to allow any one to take their portrait, be- 
lieving that such an act would imply some sort of 
vanity or dangerous complaisance. Our Saint, 
who made himself all things to all men, made no 
difficulty about the matter. His reason was this : 
that as the law of charity obliges us to communi- 
cate to our neighbor the picture of our mind, im- 
parting to him frankly and without grudging all 
that we have learned with respect to the science 



466 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

of salvation, we ought not to make any greater 
objection to give our friends the satisfaction they 
desire of having before their eyes, through the 
medium of painting, the picture of our outward 
man. If we see, not only without annoyance, but 
even with pleasure, our books, which are the 
portraits of our minds, why grudge them the 
features of our face, if the possession of them will 
contribute anything to their pleasure? 

"These are his own words, writing on the sub- 
ject to a friend : ' Here, at any rate, is the por- 
trait of this earthly man, so little am I able to re- 
fuse you anything you desire. I am told that it 
is the best likeness that was ever taken of me, 
but I think that matters very little. In imagine 
pertransit lumo, sed et frustra conturbatnr™ 1 had 
to borrow it in order to give it to you, for I have 
none of my own. Would that the likeness of my 
Creator did but shine forth in my mind — with 
what pleasure would you behold it! " 

The following are some of the sayings of this 
gentle and deep-thinking Saint: 

"Truth must always be charitable, for bitter 
zeai does harm instead of good." 

" A wise silence is better than a truth spoken 
without charity." 

11 I know of no other perfection than loving 

10 " Man passeth as an image, and is disquieted in vain." — 
Psalms. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 467 

God with all our hearts, and our neighbor as our- 
selves." 

" As physicians discover the health or sickness 
of a man by looking at his tongue, so our words 
are true indications of the qualities of our souls." 

" In dress keep yourself always, as much as 
possible, on the side of plainness and modesty, 
which, without doubt, is the greatest ornament 
of beauty, and the best excuse for the want of it." 

His unsurpassed love of purity could not bear 
the least act or word that might tarnish its beau- 
ty. He called it "the beautiful and white virtue 
of a soul." " See that lily," he once said ; " it is 
the symbol of purity. It preserves its whiteness 
and sweetness even amid briars and thorns ; but 
touch it ever so little, and it will fade."" 

11 There is a splendid seminary near Milwaukee under the 
patronage of St. Francis de Sales, and the countless churches 
bearing his name are scattered throughout every diocese in the 
United States. He is the patron of Catholic journalists. 



JU. Tmqtii its |W, 

r^"^ APOSTLE OF CHARITY. 
DIED A.D. l66o. 




HAT land has not been blessed by the 
labors, what person has not heard of the 
Sister of Charity ? — 

" Who once was a lady of honor and wealth ; 
Bright glowed on her features the roses of health ; 
Her vesture was blended of silk and of gold, 
And her motion shook perfume from every fold ; 
Joy revelled around her, love shone at her side, 
And gay was her smile as the glance of a bride, 
And light was her step in the mirth-sounding hall, 
When she heard of the Daughters of St. Vincent de Paul" 

But now — 

" Unshrinking where pestilence scatters his breath, 
Like an angel she moves 'mid the vapor of death ; 
Where rings the loud musket and flashes the sword, 
Unfearing she walks, for she follows the Lord. 
How sweetly she bends o'er each plague-tainted face 
With looks that are lighted with holiest grace ! 
How kindly she dresses each suffering limb, 
For she sees in the wounded the image of Him /" 

The noble woman, the Daughter of Charity, 

468 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 469 

whose heroism is thus pictured by the poet's pen, 
honors Vincent 1 de Paul as the father and founder 
of her society. Let us glance at the career of 
that immortal benefactor of humanity. 

He was born at a little village in the south of 
France, not far from the shadow of the famous 
Pyrenees Mountains, in the year 1576. His pa- 
rents were good, simple country people, who 
owned a small farm. Vincent was the third of a 
family of four sons and two daughters, who were 
brought up in innocence and inured to hard labor. 
He was a bright, thoughtful boy, and gave such 
early promise of greatness that his father, at much 
sacrifice, determined to give him a superior edu- 
cation. 

But after some time he resolved to be no longer 
a burden to his poor parents, and, with that manly 
energy which usually accompanies true genius, 
he took the matter into his own hands. At twen- 
ty years of age we find Vincent entering the Uni- 
versit}^ of Toulouse, where, after a long course of 
study, he graduated Bachelor of Theology. He 
was raised to the dignity of the priesthood in 
1600. 

The young priest was already a man of virtue 
and learning ; but he had not yet finished his 
studies. He was shortly to become well versed 

Vincent is from the Latin, and signifies conquering. 



470 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

in a new science. By a very rugged road he was 
soon to reach the mountain-heights of virtue. As 
gold through a furnace, so Vincent was to pass 
through the fire of affliction. 

In 1605 the Saint was called to Marseilles on 
business, and while crossing the Gulf of Lyons on 
his way back the boat was captured by African 
pirates. A few of the prisoners were killed ; the 
others were put in chains. Vincent and some 
companions were carried to Tunis, and placed for 
sale in the slave market. 

Mahometan merchants came to look at the un- 
fortunate captives as they would at oxen or 
horses. They examined who could eat well, 
looked at their teeth, felt their sides, probed their 
wounds, forced them to lift burdens and wrestle, 
and made them run up and down a given space — 
all to judge of their strength. 

Vincent was bought by a fisherman, who soon 
sold him to an old physician, at whose death he 
again changed masters. The poor priest finally 
fell into the hands of a renegade Christian, whom 
he converted after a time. They made their 
escape together, crossed the Mediterranean Sea 
in a little boat, and, after many adventures, land- 
ed near Marseilles in the summer of 1607. The 
converted apostate became a true penitent, and 
passed the remainder of his days in a severe 
monastery at Rome. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 471 

Paris was now to be the chief field of our Saint's 
labors — a field where his zeal was to be blessed 
with the glory of marvellous success. The slave 
was to become the counsellor of bishops and prin- 
ces. But the holy toiler began to labor in an 
obscure corner. Near the gay capital of France 
there was a parish so miserably poor that for years 
no pastor could be found to take charge of it. It 
was Clichy. At his own request Vincent was 
placed over this forsaken district. Soon there 
was a great change. We are told that under his 
rule the people of Clichy "lived like angels." 
He built a new church, and left everything in a 
flourishing condition when, at the advice of Car- 
dinal De Berulle, he became preceptor to the 
noble family of De Gondi. 

It was while in this position that an incident 
is related of the Saint's firmness and Christian 
charity. A quarrel had arisen between Count 
De Gondi and a nobleman of the court. It could 
only be settled by blood. The morning came. 
After De Gondi had finished a prayer in the 
family chapel, Vincent approached and said : 

" I know on good authority that you are going 
to fight a duel. I declare to you in the name of 
my Saviour, whom you have just adored, that if 
you do not relinquish this wicked design He will 
exercise His justice upon you and all your pos- 
terity." These words were uttered with such 



472 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

force and kindly earnestness that they had the de- 
sired effect. No duel was fought. 

The Saint now began to devote his services to 
the instruction of the people in various country 
villages. And greatly they stood in need of it. It 
was chiefly to carry on this sublime work that he 
founded the Priests of the Congregation of the 
Mission. The new congregation was approved 
by Pope Urban VIII. in 1632. St. Vincent lived 
to see twenty-five houses established. 2 

Boundless was the zeal of this apostolic man. 
His kind heart went out to suffering humanity in 
every form. He was one day returning from a 
mission, as he noticed in a retired spot near the 
walls of Paris one of those fiendish vagrants who 
have recourse to the most wicked schemes in or- 
der to excite compassion. The wretch was in the 
act of mutilating the tender limbs of an unfortu- 
nate foundling. Filled with horror and indigna- 
tion, the great priest rushed towards the heartless 
vagabond and tore the child from his grasp. 
" Barbarian ! " he exclaimed, " at a distance I 
took you for a man, but I was grievously mis- 
taken." He then bore away the little creature in 

'The Priests of the Congregation of the Mission first entered 
the United States in 1816. At present they conduct six colleges 
and seminaries in our country and have charge of numerous 
churches. — See cur Popular History of the Catholic Church in the 
United States, pp. 370-72. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 473 

his arms to one of those asylums which he had 
established for the reception of abandoned and 
helpless infancy. 

He founded the Sisters of Charity, 3 established 
hospitals for little orphans, poor old men, and 
galley-slaves ; and he settled all these homes of 
mercy under such excellent regulations that they 
had abundant means of support. 

At one time, however, the foundling asylum at 
Paris was about to be discontinued through want 



3 The Sisters of Chanty were established in 1633 by the noble 
Madame Le Gras under the direction of St. Vincent de Paul . Their 
object — as wide as the world of human misery — was to bestow 
every possible care on the poor, the sick, the insane, the pris- 
oner, the orphan, the foundling, and the afflicted of every de- 
scription. Few and simple were their rules. " You shall have 
no other monastery," said St. Vincent, " than the dwellings ot the 
poor, no otner cloisters than the streets of cities and the wards of 
hospitals, no other law of seclusion than obedience to your supe- 
riors, no other veil than Christian modesty. It is my wish that 
you should treat every sick person as an affectionate mother 
cares for her only son " 

The services of these devoted women were universally sought 
after. Before the French Revolution they counted no less than 
426 establishments in Europe. 

In 1809 the saintly Mother Seton and four companions origi- 
nated the Sisters of Charity in the United States. The Sisters of 
Charity consist of two distinct organizations in this country — 
one having the mother-house at Emmittsburg, Md.,and the other 
at Mount St. Vincent New York. Together they have about 200 
houses with over 1,800 Sisters. — See our Popular History of the 
Catholic Church in the United States, pp. 401-4. 



474 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

of funds. The Saint called together the charita- 
ble ladies who had hitherto kept it alive by their 
liberal contributions. Standing near were five 
hundred little orphans, borne in the arms of the 
Sisters of Charity. It was a sight truly touch- 
ing. 

" Remember, ladies," said Vincent, "that 
compassion and charity have caused you to 
adopt these little creatures as your children. 
You have been their mothers according to grace, 
since they were abandoned by their natural mo- 
thers. Now, decide whether you also will aban- 
don them. Cease to be their mothers, that you 
may be their judges ; in your hands are their life 
and death. I am going to take the votes. The 
time has come to pronounce their sentence and 
to know whether you will no longer have pity on 
them. If you continue your charitable care of 
them, they will live ; if, on the contrary, you 
abandon them, they will surely die. Experience 
does not allow you to doubt it." 

This beautiful appeal — one of the most elo- 
quent in the annals of oratory — was answered by 
tears and sobs. It gained a great victory. The 
good work was not abandoned. 

Our Saint assisted Louis XIII. at his death, 
which was marked by piety and resignation. The 
queen regent nominated him a member of the 
young king's council, and consulted him on all 



Little Lives of the Great Saints, 475 

ecclesiastical affairs. The history of the Church 
in France bears witness to his great and holy in- 
fluence. 

He made some enemies, however, in the dis- 
charge of his duties, and they basely undertook 
to injure him by calumny. It was maliciously 
whispered around that he had, in exchange for 
a library and a sum of money, procured a bene- 
fice for an ambitious man. The story finally 
came to Vincent's ears. He was deeply affected 
on hearing the atrocious falsehood. His first 
impulse was to seize a pen in order to repel 
the base attack. But he threw it down, exclaim- 
ing : 

" Ah ! unhappy man that I am. What was I 
about to do ? What ! I desire to justify myself, 
and I have only now heard that a Christian — 
falsely accused at Tunis — passed three days in 
torments, and at last died without a word of com- 
plaint! And I would excuse myself! No, no; it 
shall not be." 

He allowed the calumny to take its course, and 
soon it spent itself and went the way of all ini- 
quity. Public opinion was in his favor. And, 
last of all, the untimely death of the slanderer 
was a solemn hint that God punishes the calum- 
niator, and vindicates the character of His ser- 
vants sooner or later. 

Under the Saint's fatherly guidance the Priests 



476 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

of the Congregation of the Mission grew in num- 
ber and usefulness. He was especially careful to 
insist on a deep, sincere humility. When two 
persons, famous for gifts and learning, present- 
ed themselves to be admitted into his Congrega- 
tion, he gave a refusal, saying: 

" Your abilities raise you above our low state. 
Your talents may be of good service in some 
other place. As for us, our highest ambition is to 
instruct the ignorant, to bring sinners to a spirit 
of penance, and to plant the Gospel-spirit of cha- 
rity, humility, meekness, and simplicity in the 
hearts of all Christians." 

He laid it down as a rule of humility that, if 
possible, a man should never speak of himself — as 
all such references usually proceed from vanity 
and self-love. 

The hardy frame and intrepid energy of St. 
Vincent carried him to a ripe old age. In his 
eightieth year, however, he was seized by a vio- 
lent intermittent fever. But he still bore up for 
a time, and to the end he was active. His last 
thoughts turned to his dear spiritual children, and 
his last words referred to them — " He who hath 
begun will complete the good work." And when 
he gently passed away on the 27th of September, 
1660, at the age of eighty-five years, the world 
and religion felt that a truly great man was gone 
— that the apostle of charity, the friend of the or- 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 477 

phan, the cripple, the foundling-, the helpless, and 
the galley-slave was no more on this earth. 4 

4 St. Vincent was canonized by Pope Clement XII. in 1742. 
Three colleges in the United States honor him as their patron,, 
and churches in Scranton City, Mobile, Louisville, Detroit, Bal- 
timore, Buffalo, New Orleans, Chicago, Brooklyn, St. Louis,. 
Boston, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New York, and countless other- 
places bear his venerable name. In fact, after the Most Blessed 
Virgin, St. Joseph, and St. Patrick, St. Vincent is one of the., 
great servants of God most honored in this Republic. 



BISHOP OF ST. AGATHA, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, AND 
FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MOST 
HOLY REDEEMER. 

DIED A.D. 1787. 




IlLPHONSUS LIGUORI, whose name is 
one of the most illustrious in the his- 
tory of the Church and in the annals of 
Christian science and literature, was born at the 
country-seat of his family, near Naples, 1 on the 
27th of September, 1696. 

His father, Count Joseph Liguori, was a most 
worthy gentleman and a good Catholic, while his 
mother, Lad) 7 Catherine Cavalieri, was a model 
of discreet virtue. Alphonsus was their first-born, 
and was immediately placed under the protection 
of the Most Blessed Virgin. 

When St. Francis Jerome visited the happy 
countess, she presented her beautiful babe to re- 
ceive his benediction. " This little one," said the 
holy Jesuit, " will not die before he is ninety years 

1 Naples, the largest city in Italy, is situated on a beautiful bay 
of the same name. Near by is the volcano of Vesuvius. 
478 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 479 

of age. He will be a bishop, and will do great 
things for Jesus Christ." 

The first teacher of Alphonsus 2 was his noble 
mother. In the morning she blessed her dear lit- 
tle son and taught him to recite his prayers. The 
earliest truths impressed on his mind were the 
sublime truths of religion. Thus was the pre- 
cious seed wisely sown ; nor did it fall on sterile 
ground. 3 

At nine years of age he was placed in the 
schools of the Oratorian Fathers, and the boy's 
progress in learning and virtue excited much ad- 
miration. It was at this period that he made his 
First Communion and began to exhibit marked 
traits of a noble Christian character. 

One day, during play-time, Alphonsus was in- 
vited to take a hand at what the scholars called 
" the game of oranges." At first he refused, say- 
ing that he did not know the game ; but as his 
young companions insisted, he finally yielded. He 
soon proved skilful, and won thirty times in suc- 
cession. Jealousy led to anger. 

2 Alphonsus signifies willing, or all-ready. The name is also 
written Alphonse, Alfonso, and Alonzo. 

3 " If there was anything good in me as a child," said the ho'y 
Doctor in old age, "if I kept clear of wickedness, I owe it en- 
tirely to my mother." Mothers are the first and greatest teach- 
ers. They are the soul-moulders. This truth should be well 
understood. 



480 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

"What! so you did not know the game ? " 
shouted one of the older boys in a rage, adding 
some very profane language to this exclamation. 

When Alphonsus heard the words he blushed. 
" How is this?" he said, turning towards the 
other boys. " Shall God be offended in this way 
for a few miserable cents ? Take back your mo- 
ney!" And he threw down the few coins he 
had won, and left the grounds, his boyish face 
glowing with Christian indignation. 

Years after some of his playmates would re- 
count this admirable incident with emotion. 

His parents were delighted at the brightness of 
intellect exhibited by their eldest son. He had a 
most happy memory and a vigorous understand- 
ing, which easily grasped and retained the facts 
and principles of science, art, and literature. The 
services of the most distinguished masters were 
secured to aid the youth in his studies, which em- 
braced Latin, Greek, French, mathematics, the 
natural sciences, drawing, music, 4 painting, archi- 
tecture, and canon and civil law. 

Count Liguori intended him for the legal pro- 
fession, and Alphonsus was so desirous of second- 
ing the wishes of his father that his great genius, 

4 St. Alphonsus " was an accomplished musician, and pos- 
sessed, even in old age, a voice of such refined culture and mar- 
vellous sweetness that when he sang his auditors melted into 
te rs." 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 48 1 

backed by unceasing- industry, enabled him to ob- 
tain the degree of Doctor of Laws in 17 13, by a 
special dispensation, as he was then but seventeen 
years of age. 

The young lawyer was scarcely twenty when 
he was already famous as a leading advocate. 
From 171 5 to 1723 it is said that he gained all the 
cases entrusted to him. 

In 1723 the tribunals of Naples were occupied 
with a suit of great importance. It was a con- 
test between the Grand Duke of Tuscany and a 
powerful nobleman, in which six hundred thou- 
sand ducats were involved. The nobleman placed 
his case in the hands of Alphonsus, who, after 
long and careful study, said that he believed it 
could easily be gained. But he had, somehow or 
other, overlooked one document, and that over- 
sight proved disastrous to himself and his client 
in the courts. The trial came on. The young 
advocate pleaded with more than usual keenness 
and brilliancy ; but when the adverse party pre- 
sented the document referred to, Alphonsus was 
extremely pained and confused. His opponents 
were right. He himself had been deceived. 5 

Even in old age," sa)'S one of the recent biographers of our 
Saint, "he could never understand how that important paper had 
escaped him. But Providence had permitted him to overlook it, 
that it might be an occasion of opening a more direct way for the 
accomplishment of God's designs on him." 



482 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

" World, I know you now," he exclaimed. 
" Courts of law, never more shall you hear my 
voice ! " 

" Law is a dangerous profession, and exposes 
one to an unprovided death," he afterwards said 
to a friend. " I renounced it because I wished, 
above all things, to save my soul, and must, under 
all circumstances, follow the dictates of my con- 
science." 

After many internal trials and external troubles 
and annoyances, Alphonsus decided to renounce 
the world and to study for the hoi}' ministry. He 
had a remarkably firm character, and of course to 
decide was to execute. 

His father's grief and vexation, however, were 
boundless. Nor did he try to hide his feelings. 
When Alphonsus first appeared at home clothed 
in a cassock, the old count " uttered a piercing 
shriek, and for a year after never addressed a word 
to his once idolized son." 

The Saint now turned his attention to the things 
of heaven, and bent his rich, well-trained mind to 
the studv of the sacred sciences. He was or- 
dained priest on the 21st of December, 1726, at 
the age of thirty-one. 

" I am a priest," he wrote in his rule of life. 
" My dignity is above that of the angels. I should 
then lead a life of angelic purity, and I am obliged 
to strive for this by all possible means. . . . The 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 483 

Holy Church has honored me. I must therefore 
honor myself by sanctity of life and by zeal and 
labors." 

As a preacher his success was immediate. All 
hearts were touched by his sermons. Among 
those who went regularly to hear his words of 
holy eloquence was Capasso, a man whose great 
powers of satire and vast knowledge had made 
him celebrated. One day the Saint and the satir- 
ist met. 

" You always come to hear me," said Father 
Liguori, adding, with a smile, " Should you not 
like to make me the subject of some new satire?" 

" No, no," replied Capasso. " I listen to you 
with pleasure, because I see that you forget yourself 
to preach Christ crucified." 

But it was especially as a confessor that the 
ruling passion of his life became manifest— his 
passion for great sinners. The holy priest put 
himself in their way. He met them everywhere. 
He followed the most hardened and wretched. 
He attracted them. He heard their tales of sin 
and sorrow, and gave them absolution. 

On one occasion a young gentleman sought the 
Saint's confessional. He accused himself of a 
number of enormous crimes in a tone of levity 
and indifference. He then paused. " Anything 
more?" asked Father Liguori. "No," said the 
youth. 



484 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

"What!" returned the priest, " is that all? 
Now, do you not see that the only thing required 
to make you a Turk is the turban ? Tell me, my 
son," continued the kind-hearted Saint in accents 
of touching tenderness, " what evil has Jesus 
Christ done you ?" 

The words fell like the rod of Moses on the 
parched rock. They touched the hard heart of 
the young sinner, and tears of repentance sudden- 
ly gushed from his eyes. His exemplary after- 
life proved two things — the depth of his contri- 
tion, and the priceless blessing of having a Saint 
for confessor. 

" He could not endure those confessors," says 
Cardinal Wiseman, " who received their peni- 
tents with a discouraging, supercilious air, or 
who, having heard them, sent them off disdain- 
fully as unworthy or incapable of the divine 
mercy. His whole life was a protest against 
proceedings of this nature, and towards the close 
of his career he could use these magnificent 
words, which are the confirmation of his glory, 
and which should be written in letters of dia- 
mond : 1 1 do not remember that I ever sent away a 
sinner without absolution* " 

The life of this illustrious man was rilled with 
incessant labors — sermons, retreats, confessions, 
missions. In fact, he went so far as to make a 
vow never to lose a moment of time. Even the 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 485 

fragments he used to advantage. " I never re- 
member," said one of bis companions, " to have 
seen Alphonsus waste a moment when he lived 
with us. He was always preaching, or hearing 
confessions, or at prayer or study." 

It was while conducting missions in various 
parts of his native country that Father Liguori 
began to feel the want of fellow-laborers. He 
prayed for light. He took counsel of the wise 
and learned. And finally he came to the con- 
clusion that it was the will of Heaven that he 
should found a new congregation of missionary 
priests for the spiritual aid of those souls which 
are the most destitute. Thus arose the Congrega- 
tion of the Most Holy Redeemer * which dates its 
origin from the year 1732. 7 

The first house of the new congregation was 
founded at Scala. The Saint was joined by 
twelve companions — ten priests, two candidates 
for Holy Orders, and one serving lay brother. 8 

6 Commonly called the Redemptorist Fathers. 

7 Three priests of the Congregation of the Most Holy Re- 
deemer landed on the shores of the United States in 1832, just 
one hundred years after the founding of the congregation. At 
present they have houses and parishes in most of our large 
cities. — See our Popular History of the Catholic Church in the 
United States, p. 372. 

8 " A gentleman named Vitus Curzius," writes the Saint's 
American biographer, "whose vocation was evidently miracu- 
lous, was the first lay brother. He had been secretary of the. 



486 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

Most austere was the life of Alphonsus and his 
disciples. The house was small. The beds con- 
sisted of a little straw shaken on the floor. Hard, 
black bread formed about their only nourishment. 
One religious exercise followed another with the 
regularity of the clock. Not a moment was lost. 
From time to time they spread themselves over 
the country to gather in a precious harvest of 
souls. 

But all good things have their time of trial, and 
the work of our Saint was soon tested in the cru- 
cible. The evil one created dissensions in the 
new society. The regulations drawn up by Al- 
phonsus proved very offensive to some of the 
members. The murmurers grew in numbers, 

Marquis of Vasto, and was very intimate with Sportelli, of whose 
vocation, however, he knew nothing. One da)- he mentioned to 
him a dream he had the preceding night. 'I thought,' said he, 
'that I stood at the foot of a high and steep mountain, which 
many priests were trying to ascend. I wished to follow them, 
but at the first step was thrown backwards. Unwilling to give 
up ; I tried several times to ascend ; but to my great annoyance I al- 
ways slid back, till a priest, moved with compassion, reached 
out his hand and helped me.' Towards noon, as they walked to 
the Chinese College, they met Alphonsus. Curzius — who had 
never seen him before — struck with astonishment exclaimed : 
' There is the priest who gave me his hind last night ! ' Spor- 
telli now understood the dream, and mentioned the design of the 
founder, whereupon Curzius instantly begged to be admitted 
among the disciples of the Saint, but in quality of lay brother. 
His lequest was granted. " 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 487 

and to such a pitch did the discontentment reach 
that all his companions deserted the Saint except 
two — Dr. Sportelli, a layman, and the lay brother 
Curzius. 

It was, in truth, a supreme moment. Friends 
and foes alike now laughed at the forsaken found- 
er. Even pious and learned ecclesiastics treat- 
ed him as a visionary. He was made the butt of 
ridicule. But the dauntless man of God, pursu- 
ing the even tenor of his way, continued to work 
alone ; and at length the dark day of distress 
passed, and new laborers came to his assistance. 
The Pope approved the rules of his Congrega- 
tion. Its life was no longer doubtful. 9 When 
the members set about to elect a superior-general, 
their choice fell upon the holy founder, who was 
unanimously elected for life. 

Several years passed away. One day a ven- 
erable old gentleman approached a house of the 
Congregation, and on entering he was penetrat- 
ed with feelings of devotion. It was Count Jo- 
seph Liguori, who had come to visit his great 
son. He soon grew so delighted with the humble, 
peaceful life of the Fathers that he even begged 

9 For a complete history of the great Saint and his countless 
trials in establishing the Congregation of the Most Holy Re- 
deemer, see the " Life of St. Alphonsus Liguori," by a Sister of 
Mercy. It is an excellent work, to which we are greatly in- 
debted. 



488 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

to be admitted as a simple lay brother. But our 
Saint did not favor such a step. 

" This vocation," said he to his father, " does 
not come from God. You must live in the world 
and edify it by your example as father of a family, 
in which condition God has placed you." 

The old nobleman went home, kept up a regu- 
lar correspondence with Alphonsus, and under 
his wise direction he labored to become a saint. 
Some time after he died, covered with years and 
meiits. 

While Father Liguori attended with unceasing 
care to all his countless duties as superior-gene- 
ral, he gave special attention to the training of 
his students for their missionary labors. It was 
his great aim to form priests of solid virtue and 
extensive knowledge. " A laborer without sci- 
ence," he would remark to his students, " even 
though he be a man of prayer, is like a soldier 
without arms." 

He greatly disliked seeing the truths of the 
Gospel tricked out in the frippery of gaudy rhe- 
toric. " Puffed-up orators," he said, " give out 
but wind. They think more of displaying their 
own eloquence than of glorifying Jesus Christ. 
If they escape hell, they will at least have to get 
rid of their inflation in purgatory." 

Throughout all the well-filled years of his life 
the Saint continued to add to his labors and merits 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 489 

by the preparation of matchless works on piety, 
virtue, and the sacred sciences. 10 His writings, 
learning, and sanctity had made him celebrated. 
Of course he was offered dignities. He refused 
the archbishopric of Palermo. But when the See 
of St. Agatha became vacant he was appointed 
Bishop, and the Pope would not hear of a refusal. 
After his consecration he said : " I was terrified to 
think of the burden to be imposed on me and the 
account I was one day to give of it to God." 
The Saint reached his episcopal see on the nth 

10 The works of St. Alphonsus number, we believe, about one 
hundred. Besides his justly-renowned treatises on theology (in 
Latin), maybe mentioned the "Christian Virtues," " Glories of 
Mary," "Preparation for Death," "The True Spouse of Christ," 
" Visits to the Blessed Sacrament," "Instructions on the Com- 
mandments and Sacraments," and " The History of Heresies," all 
of which, and many others, have been translated into English. 
The decree by which the immortal Pius IX., in 1871, elevated the 
Saint to the rare dignity of Doctor of the Church speaks thus of his 
works : " But what he reduced to practice in his holy life he taught 
also in word and by writing. He stands distinguished for dis- 
pelling and clearing up the lurking-places of unbelievers and Jan- 
senists, so widely spread. And, over and above this, he has cleared 
up questions that were clouded, he has solved what was doubtful, 
making a safe path through which the directors of Christian souls 
may tread with harmless feet between the involved opinions of 
theologians, whether too loose or too rigorous And besides 
this, he has signally cast light on the doctrines of the Immaculate 
Conception and the Infallibility of the Sovereign Pontiff teach- 
ing ex cathedra, and he strenuously taught these doctrines, which 
in our day have been denned as of faith." 



490 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

of July, 1762. He was then sixty six years of 
age. But he immediately began to work like a 
young apostle. He opened his labors by giving 
a mission of eight days. In a short time many 
abuses were corrected, many sinners converted, 
and the diocese wore a new aspect. 

" We have a holy bishop," said the people. " We 
have a saint among us." 

" We prayed to God to send us a good bishop," 
remarked a Church dignitary, " and He has heard 
us; but Monseigneur will kill himself." 

He won the love and confidence of the poor 
people during his visitations. They flocked to 
hear him. " Let us go," they would exclaim as 
he entered their villages, " let us go to hear the 
Saint that smooths the way to heaven ! " 

Though even great saints cannot reform everv- 
body and everything in a day, still it is marvel- 
lous what one of them can do. One of- our Saint's 
canons had been a scandal-giver of old standing, 
and it was in vain that the illustrious Bishop had 
again and again besought him to lead a life of 
virtue. 

" My son," said Alphonsus at last, throwing 
himself at the culprit's feet and presenting his 
crucifix, "my son, if you will not obey me as your 
Bishop, be converted for the sake of Jesus Christ, 
who died for you and for me ! " 

Even this touching appeal failed to produce 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 491 

any impression ; but after a time the unhappy 
man became a sincere penitent 

Alphonsus was a Bishop of angelic meekness. 
On a certain occasion, being rudely insulted by a 
priest from the country, he treated the offender 
so gently that his archdeacon, who was present, 
expressed surprise at what he considered to be 
simply an encouragement of coarse wickedness. 

" I have been laboring," returned the Saint, 
"for forty years to gain a little patience, and you 
want me to lose it all in a moment." 

" There is nothing," he remarked on another 
occasion, "more unseemly in a bishop than anger. 
A bishop who gives way to this passion is no 
longer the father of his flock. He is an intracta- 
ble tyrant who draws universal hatred upon him- 
self." 

He was the very soul of hospitality. He loved 
to converse with the poor, the rude, and the il- 
literate, whom he always kindly received at his 
episcopal residence. On finding amongst his let- 
ters one from a poor person, he exclaimed : " Ah ! 
this pleases me. It is a request for charity." 

The holv Doctor was kind to all but himself. 
He " was as cruel to himself," said one who knew 
him well, " as he was kind to others. I would 
make you shudder were I to relate all the particu- 
lars of his macerations, his abstinence from food, 
his daily scourgings to blood — of the hair-shirts 



49 2 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

and iron chains which kept his body in a continual 
mortification, his watch ings, and in short every- 
thing that can afflict the flesh was made use of by 
Monsignor Liguori." 

The Church was passing through a sad period 
of gloom and storm during the last years of the 
holy Doctor's life. Pope Clement XIV., pressed 
as he was on all sides, suppressed the Society of 
Jesus in 1773. No one bewailed this unhappy 
event more than St. Alphonsus. " The loss of 
the Jesuits," he had remarked some time before, 
" will place the Pope and the Church in a most 
disastrous situation ; the Jansenists 11 aim at them, 
because through them they will be the more cer- 
tain of striking at Church and State." 

"The Jansenists were a sect of gloomy fanatics who owed their 
name, if not their origin, to Jansenius, Bishop of Ypres, in the 
early part of the seventeenth century. In their spiritual teach- 
ing all was rigor and extreme severity. They wished to make 
God a tyrant, not a merciful Father. Frequent confession and 
communion they condemned. They taught that a general council 
was above the Pope. They tried to banish joy from religion, and 
to introduce the demon of melancholy. And for many years and 
in many places, unhappily, they had only too much success. 
"We know," says a French writer, "what Jansenist education 
meant. The little children were sternly treated. They must not 
laugh or jest too loud, or show their pretty little teeth in smiles. 
They were forced to submit to sacrifices which, to be meritorious, 
must be five and voluntary." For over two centuries these 
sanctimonious knaves troubled the Church. St. Alphonsus did 
much to destroy Jansenism, and the Vatican Council gave it the 
final death-blow. 



Little Lives of the Great Saints. 493 

A year rolled by. On the 21st of September, 
1774, after celebrating Mass, Bishop Liguori, then 
near the end of his seventy-eighth year, sat down 
on an arm-chair. He fell into a tranquil slumber. 
He remained in this motionless state all day and 
all the following night. He awoke about eight 
o'clock on the morning of the 22d, and imme- 
diately pulled the bell. With tears in their eyes 
his attendants gathered around. He asked what 
was the matter, and they replied that he had nei- 
ther spoken nor eaten for two days. 

" That is true,'' said the Saint, " but do you not 
know that I have been with the Pope, who has 
just died ?" 

News soon reached the town that Clement XIV. 
had passed to a better world at eight o'clock on 
the morning of the 22d, the very hour in which 
St. Alphonsus had come to himself! 

Weighed down as he was by age and infirmi- 
ties, Alphonsus had long sought to be relieved 
from the burden of the episcopate. When Pius 
VI. became Pope he again applied for permission 
to retire. The new pontiff, with much sorrow, 
accepted his resignation. 

" Blessed be God ! " he exclaimed, when he 
heard the welcome intelligence. " A mountain 
has been removed from my breast." 

It was in the summer of 1775 that he bade 
adieu to his diocese. The scene at the departure 



494 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

of his carriage was truly affecting. Multitudes 
surrounded him, and not a dry cheek was to be 
seen. The kind, paternal heart of the illustrious 
old Saint was touched, and big, round tears filled 
his eyes as he gave his flock the parting bene- 
diction. 

The venerable man now retired to a house of 
his Congregation, where he lived the same as the 
other Fathers. He wrote and preached as of old. 
But his poor health soon completely broke down. 
For eight years before his death he was unable to 
say Mass. In 1786 he wrote to one of his old 
friends, a Carmelite : " Father Joseph, we shall 
not meet again next year." It was only too true. 
The close was coming, and he bore his cross 
manfully to the last breath. Violent temptation 
assailed, but he prayed to Christ and His Blessed 
Mother. When any friend came to his dying- 
bed for words of advice, he simply said : "Save 
your sou/." 

One of his last utterances was : " I believe all 
the Holy Catholic Church teaches, and thus I 
have hope." And with this heavenly hope in his 
heart, and the crucifix and an image of Mary 
pressed to his bosom, the bright soul of the great 
Alphonsus Liguori — " the Saint who had smoothed 
the way to heaven " — passed calmly out of this life 
as the sound of the Angelus bell sweetly rolled 
along the air on the 1st of August, in the year 






Little Lives of the Great Saints. 495 

1787. He had reached the ripe age of ninety- 
two.' 2 

12 St. Alphonsus was canonized by Pope Pius VII. in 1836; 
and in 1871, Pope Pius IX. conferred upon him the rare and mag- 
nificent title of Doctor of the Church. 

There are churches in Wheeling, Baltimore, New Orleans, 
Brooklyn, St. Louis, Philadelphia, New York, and many other 
places dedicated to divine worship under the patronage of St. 
Alphonsus. How true it is that " the just are held in everlasting 
remembrance." 



iltmf $ Jfermmt mt Ifo fflmmi 



Before bringing it to a close, we wish to enrich our little 
volume with the greatest of all sermons — " The Sermon on the 
Mount." It shows in what true virtue and happiness consists. 
It is a summary of all the morality of the Gospel. To read and 
ponder this celebrated discourse at least once a month is an ex- 
cellent practice. It is Irom the sacred lips of Jesus Christ Him- 
self, and, in the words of a Kempis, "the doctrine cf Christ 
surpasses all the doctrines of the saints, and whosoever has the 
spirit will find therein a hidden manna." 

I. 

j]LESSED are the poor in spirit :' for theirs 
is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are the meek : for they shall 
possess the land. 

Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be 
comforted. 

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after 
justice : for they shall have their fill. 

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain 
mercy. 

Blessed are the clean of heart : for they shall 
see God. 

1 The poor in spirit. That is, the humble ; and those whose spirit 
is not set upon riches. 




Christ's Sermon on the Mount. 497 

Blessed are the peace-makers : for they shall be 
called the children of God. 

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for jus- 
tice' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are you when they shall revile you, and 
persecute you, and speak all that is evil against 
you, untruly, for My sake : 

Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very 
great in heaven. For so they persecuted the pro- 
phets that were before you. 

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt 
lose its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It 
is good for nothing any more but to be cast out, 
and to be trodden on by men. 

You are the light of the world. A city seated 
on a mountain cannot be hid. 

Neither do men light a candle and put it under 
a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine 
to all that are in the house. 

So let your light shine before men, that they 
may see your good works, and glorify your Fa- 
ther who is in heaven. 

Do not think that I am come to destroy the 
law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, 
but to fulfil. 2 

For amen 3 I say unto you, till heaven and earth 

2 To fulfil. By accomplishing all the figures and prophecies ; 
and perfecting all that was imperfect. 

3 Amen. That is, assuredly of a truth. This Hebrew word, 



498 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

pass, one jot or one tittle shall not pass of the law, 
till all be fulfilled. 

He therefore that shall break one of these least 
commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be 
called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he 
that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in 
the kingdom of heaven. 

For I tell you that unless your justice abound 
more than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, 4 you 
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

You have heard that it. was said to them of old : 
thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall 
be in danger of the judgment. 6 

But I say to you that whosoever is angry 
with his brother, shall be in danger of the judg- 
ment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, 
Raca, 6 shall be in danger of the council. And who- 

Amen, is here retained by the example and authority of all the 
four evangelists, who have retained it. It is used by our Lord 
as a strong asseveration, and affirmation of the truth. 

4 The Scribes and Pharisees. The Scribes were the doctors of the 
law of Moses : the Pharisee; were a precise set of men, making 
profession of a more exact observance of the law, and upon that 
account greatly esteemed among the people. 

5 Shall be in danger of the judgment. That is, shall deserve to be 
punished by that lesser tribunal among the Jews, called the 
Judgment, which took cognizance of such crimes. 

6 Para. A word expressing great indignation or contempt. — 
Sha I be in danger of the Council. That is, shall deserve to be 
punished by the highest court of judicature, called the Council, 
or Sanhedrim, consisting of seventy-two persons, where the 



Christ 's Sermon on the Mount, 499 

soever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of 
hell fire. 

If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and 
there thou remember that thy brother hath any- 
thing against thee : 

Leave there thy offering before the altar, and 
go first to be reconciled to thy brother: and then 
coming thou shalt offer thy gift. 

Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, 
whilst thou art in the way with him : lest perhaps 
the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the 
judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast 
into prison. 

Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from 
thence till thou repay the last farthing. 

You have heard that it was said to them of old: 
Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

But I say to you, that whosoever shall look on 
a woman to lust after her, hath already commit- 
ted adultery with her in his heart. 

And if thy right eye scandalize thee, 7 pluck it 

highest causes were tried and judged, which was at Jerusalem. — 
Thou fool. This was then looked upon as a heinous injury, 
when uttered with contempt, spite, or malice ; and therefore is 
here so severely condemned. — Shall be in danger of hell fire : 
literally, according to the Greek, shall deserve to be cast into the 
Gehenna of fire. Which words our Saviour made use of to express 
the fire and punishments of hell. 

7 Scandalize thee. That is, if it be a stumbling-block, or occa- 
sion of sin to you. By which we are taught to fly the immediate 



500 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

out and cast it from thee. For it is expedient for 
thee that one of thy members should perish, ra- 
ther than thy whole body be cast into hell. 

And if thy right hand scandalize thee, cut it off, 
and cast it from thee : for it is expedient for thee 
that one of thy members should perish, rather 
than that thy whole body go into hell. 

And it hath been said, Whosoever shall put 
away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce. 

But I say to you, that whosoever shall put 
away his wife, excepting the cause of fornication, 
maketh her to commit adultery: and he that 
shall marry her that is put away, committeth 
adultery. 

Again you have heard that it was said to them 
of old, Thou shalt not forswear thyself: but thou 
shalt perform thy oaths to the Lord. 

But I say to you not to swear at all, 8 neither by 
heaven, for it is the throne of God : 

Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool : nor by 
Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. 

Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because 
thou canst not make one hair white or black. 

occasions of sin, though they be as dear to us or as necessary as 
a hand or an eye. 

* Not to swear at all. It is not forbidden to swear in truth, jus- 
tice, and judgment ; to the honor of God, or our own or neighbor's 
just defence ; but only to swear rashly or profanely, in common 
discourse, and without necessity. 



Christ's Sermon on the Mount. 501 

But let your speech be yea, yea : no, no : and 
that which is over and above these, is of evil. 

You have heard that it hath been said, An eye 
for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. 

But I say to you not to resist evil ; 8 but if one 
strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also 
the other : 

And if a man will contend with thee in judg- 
ment, and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak 
also unto him. 

And whosoever will force thee one mile, go 
with him other two. 

Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him 
that would borrow of thee turn not away. 

You have heard that it hath been said, Thou 
shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy. 

But I say to you, Love your enemies : do good 
to them that hate you : and pray for them that 
persecute and calumniate you ; 

That you may be the children of your Father 
who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise up- 
on the good and bad, and raineth upon the just 
and the unjust. 

8 Not to resist evil, etc. What is here commanded is a Christian 
patience under injuries and affronts, and to be willing even to 
suffer still more rather than to indulge the desire of revenge ; 
but what is further added does not strictly oblige according to the 
letter, for neither did Christ nor St. Paul turn the other cheek, 
St. John xviii. and Acts xxiii. 



502 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

For if you love them that love you, what reward 
shall you have? do not even the publicans 9 this? 

And if you salute your brethren only, what do 
you more? do not also the heathens this? 

Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly 
Father is perfect. 



II. 

Take heed that you do not your justice 10 before 
men, to be seen by them : otherwise you shall not 
have a reward of your Father who is in heaven. 

Therefore when thou dost an alms-deed, sound 
not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in 
the synagogues and in the streets, that they may 
be honored by men. Amen I say to you, they 
have received their reward. 

But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand 
know what thy right hand doth. 

That thy aims may be in secret, and thy Father 
who seeth in secret will repay thee. 

And when you pray, you shall not be as the 
hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the 
synagogues and corners of the streets, that they 

9 The Publicans. These were the gatherers of the public taxes : 
a set of men odious and infamous among the Jews for their ex- 
tortions and injustice. 

10 Your justice — i.e., Works of justice. Viz., fasting, prayer, and 
almsdeeds, which ought to be performed not out of ostentation, 
or a view to please men, but solely to please God. 



Christ's Sermon on the Mount, 503 

may be seen by men: Amen I say to you, they 
have received their reward. 

But thou when thou shalt pray, enter into thy 
chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy 
Father in secret ; and thy Father who seeth in 
secret will repay thee. 

And when you are praying-, speak not much, as 
the heathens. For they think that in their much 
speaking they may be heard. 

Be not you therefore like to them, for your 
Father knoweth what is needful for you, before 
you ask him. 

Thus therefore shall you pray : Our Father 
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth 
as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our supersubstantial bread. 11 

And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive 
our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation. 12 But deliver 
us from evil. Amen. 

For if you will forgive men their offences, your 
heavenly Father will forgive you also your 
offences. 

11 Supersubstantial bread. In St. Luke the same word is rendered 
daily bread. It is understood of the bread of life, which we re- 
ceive in the Blessed Sacrament. 

12 Lead us not into temptation. That is, suffer us not to be over- 
come by temptation. 



504 Little Lives of the Great Sai?its. 

But if you will not forgive men, neither will 
your Father forgive you your offences. 

And when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, 
sad. For they disfigure their faces, that they 
may appear unto men to fast. Amen I say to 
you, they have received their reward. 

But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, 
and wash thy face ; 

That thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy 
Father who is in secret: and thy Father who 
seeth in secret will repay thee. 

Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: 
where the rust and moth consume, and where 
thieves break through and steal. 

But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven: 
where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, 
and where thieves do not break through, nor steal. 

For where thy treasure is, there also is thy 
heart. 

The light of thy body is thy eye. If thy eye be 
single, thy whole body shall be lightsome. 

But if thy eye be evil, thy whole body shall be 
darksome. If then the light that is in thee, be 
darkness : the darkness itself how great shall it be. 

No man can serve two masters. For either he 
will hate the one, and love the other: or he will 
sustain the one, and despise the other. You can- 
not serve God and mammon. 13 

13 Mammm. That is, riches, worldly interest. 



Christ's Sermon on the Mount, 505 

Therefore I say to you, be not solicitous for 
your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, 
what you shall put on. Is not the life more than 
the meat: and the body more than the raiment? 

Behold the birds of the air, for they neither 
sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and 
your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you 
of much more value than they ? 

And which of you by taking thought, can add 
to his stature one cubit? 

And for raiment why are you solicitous? Con- 
sider the lilies of the field how they grow : they 
labor not, neither do they spin. 

But I say to you, that not even Solomon in all 
his glory was arrayed as one of these. 

And if the grass of the field, which is to-day 
and to-morrow is cast into the oven, God doth 
so clothe : how much more you, O ye of little 
faith ? 

Be not solicitous therefore, saying, What shall 
we eat ; or what shall we drink, or wherewith 
shall we be clothed ? 

For after all these things do the heathens seek. 
For your Father knoweth that you have need of 
all these things. 

Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and 
his justice, and all these things shall be added unto 
you. 

Be not therefore solicitous for to-morrow ; for 



506 Little Lives of the Great Saints, 

the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient 
for the day is the evil thereof. 

m * 

Judge not, that you may not be judged. 

For with what judgment you judge, you shall 
be judged : and with what measure you mete, it 
shall be measured to you again. 

And why seest thou the mote that is in thy 
brother's eye ; and seest not the beam that is in 
thy own eye ? 

Or how sayest thou to thy brother: Let me cast 
the mote out of thy eye ; and behold a beam is in 
thy own eye ? 

Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of 
thy own eye, and then shalt thou see to cast out 
the mote out of thy brother's eye. 

Give not that which is holy to dogs ; neither 
cast ye your pearls before swine, lest perhaps 
they trample them under their feet, and turning 
upon you, they tear you. 

Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you 
shall find : knock, and it shall be opened to you. 

For ever)' one that asketh, receiveth : and he 
that seeketh, findeth : and to him that knocketh, 
it shall be opened. 

Or what man is there among you, of whom if 
his son shall ask bread, will he reach him a 
stone ? 



Christ 's Sermon on the Mount. 507 

Or if he shall ask him a fish, will he reach him 
a serpent ? 

If you then being evil, know how to give good 
gifts to your children : how much more will your 
Father who is in heaven, give good things to them 
that ask him ? 

All things therefore whatsoever you would 
that men should do to you, do you also to them. 
For this is the law and the prophets. 

Enter ye in at the narrow. gate : for wide is the 
gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to de- 
struction, and many there are who go in thereat. 

How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way 
that leadeth to life : and few there are that find 
it! 

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in 
the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are rav- 
ening wolves. 

By their fruits you shall know them. Do men 
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good 
fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, nei- 
ther can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. 

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, 
shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. 

Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. 

Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, 
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he 



508 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

that doth the will of my Father who is in hea- 
ven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, 
have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out 
devils in thy name, and done many miracles in 
thy name? 

And then will I profess unto them, I never 
knew you : depart from me, you that work ini- 
quity. 

Every one therefore that heareth these my 
words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise 
man that built his house upon a rock. 

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it 
fell not, for it was founded on a rock. 

And every one that heareth these my words, 
and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that 
built his house upon the sand. 

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and 
it fell, and great was the fall thereof. 

And it came to pass when Jesus had fully end- 
ed these words, the people were in admiration at 
his doctrine. 

For he was teaching them as one having power, 
and not as their scribes and Pharisees. 



jipmitml ftitrim* 

FOR EVERY DAY IN THE MONTH. 



i. Purity is the beautiful and white virtue of 
the soul. 

2. Never use a word that is not pure enough 
for the ears of your Guardian Angel. 

3. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall 
see God. 

4. We do more for others by correcting our- 
selves than by wishing to correct them. 

5. He that would well and duly weigh his own 
deeds should find no room to judge hard of 
others. 

6. Kind-heartedness in one's dealings with oth- 
ers is the great charm of life. 

7. A kind and sweet way of judging others ends 
by stamping itself upon the countenance, and by 
giving it a look which draws all hearts. 

8. The virtue of the patient man is preferable 
to miracles and wonders. 

9. Through many tribulations we must enter 
into the kingdom, of God. 

509 



5 10 Little Lives of the Great Saints. 

io. He who neglects prayer makes a present of 
himself to the devil. 

11. There are but few peaceful souls, because 
there are so few that pray. 

12. It is by resisting our passions that we 
find true peace of heart — not by being slaves to 
them. 

13. There is no king like him who is king of 
himself. 

14. Do as you would be done by. 

15. True greatness and nobility have their root 
in solid virtue. 

16. The friend of fools shall be like them. 

17. In your dress be as much as possible on the 
side of modesty and simplicity, which are the 
greatest ornaments of beauty, as they are the best 
excuses for the want of it. 

18. Avoid human respect ; you are in this world 
only to please the great God. 

19. To be saved we must not only shun evil — 
we must do good. 

20. A useless life is alone sufficient for our con- 
demnation. 

21. He does much who does well what he does. 

22. He that truly loves and serves God may 
fear nothing. 

23. Keep a good conscience, and the sunshine 
of joy shall ever light up your bosom. 

24. A good name is better than riches. 



Spiritual Maxims. 511 

25. The proud man is an abomination to Al- 
mighty God. 

26. He who knows not how to be humble knows 
nothing. 

27. Place a lock upon your lips, and let the fear 
of God possess the key. 

28. Speak little and mildly, little and well, little 
and simply, little and cheerfully. 

29. Purity of intention in what we do stamps 
all our good actions with a merit bright and beau- 
tiful in the sight of heaven. 

30. Oh ! how fades the glory and splendor of 
this world when viewed by the light of the lonely 
taper that glimmers near the bed of death. 

31. Have God in your mind all the days of life, 
and forget not that true virtue avoids every ex- 
cess, and falls into no extreme. 



Iplnls on litigious Raiting, 



It often happens that there are good young people — and 
others, perhaps, not so young — who are desirous of making a 
careful course of reading on the Catholic Religion and the prac- 
tice of virtue, but who feel discouraged to begin, because they 
do nor know the best and most suitable books to choose for such 
a praiseworthy undertaking. Our little volume may fall into the 
hands of some such earnest souls, and we hasten to their assis- 
tance. The following works are among the very best that can 
be commended ; indeed, they are all masterpieces: 

(i.) The Faith of Our Fathers, by Archbishop 
Gibbons. 

(2.) Manual of the Catholic Religion, by Rev. F. 
X. Weninger, S.J. 

(3.) The Criterion ; or, How to Detect Error and 
Arrive at Truth, by Rev. James Balmes, D.D. 

(4.) The Evidences of Religion, by Rev. Louis 
Jouin, S.J. 

(5.) Introduction to a Devout Life, by St. Francis 
de Sales. 

(6.) The Spiritual Combat, by Scupoli. 

(7.) The Imitation of Christ, by X Kempis. 



Hints on Religious Reading. 513 

(8.) The Happiness of Heaven, by Rev. F. J. 
Boudreaux, S.J. 

The first four works in this list explain the principles and prac- 
tice of the True Religion, and show how it can be defended against 
heretics and infidels; the last four contain the cream of all spiri- 
tual literature. The eight make a religious library. They are all 
small, cheap books, and may be had of any Catholic bookseller. 
The publisher of the Little Lives of the Great Saints will send 
them 10 any address. Tnose who cannot procure the whole of 
the foregoing works should get at least the first, third, and fifth. 



%. PL §. m. 



PUBLICATIONS 

OF 

P. J. KENEDY, 

EXCELSIOR CATHOLIC PCBLISHIUC HOUSE, 

5 BARCLAY STREET, NEAR BROADWAY, 

Opposite the Astor Mouse, 
NEW YORK. 



Adventures of Michael Bwyer : ,'. $1 00 
Adelmar the Templar. A Tale. . 40 

Ballads, Poems, and Songs of 

William Collins 1 00 

Blanche. A Tale from the French. . . 40 

Battle of Ventry Harbor 20 

Bibles, from $2 50 to 15 00 

Brooks and Hughes Controversy 75 

Butler's Feasts and Fasts 1 25 

Blind Agnese, A Tale 50 

Butler's Catechism 8 

" H with Mass Prayers. 30 

Bible History. Challoner 50 

Catholic Prayer-Boohs, 25 cts., 50 cts., up to 12 00 
%W Any of above books sent free by mail on receipt of 
price. Agents wanted everywhere to sell above books, to 
whom liberal terms will be given. Address 
P. J. KENEDY, Excelsior Catholic Publishing House, 
5 Barclay Street, New York. 



If 



Publications of P. J. Kenedy, 5 Barclay St., N. Y. 

Christian Virtues. By St. Liguori. $1 00 
Christ ia n's Rule of Life, " " 30 
Christmas Night's Entertain- 
ments 60 

Conversion of Ratishonne 50 

Clifton Tracts. 4 vols 3 00 

Ca th of i r Off'e r i ng. By Bish op Walsh. 1 50 
Christian Perfection. Rodriguez. 

3 vols. Only complete edition 4 OO 

Catholic Churen in the United 

States. By J. G. Shea. Illustrated. 2 OO 
Cat ft otic Missions among the 

Indians 2 50 

Chateau Lescure. A Tale 50 

Conscience ; or, May Brooke. A Tale. J. OO 

Catholic Hymn-Book 15 

Christian Brothers' 1st Book 13 

2d " 25 

3d " 03 

4th " 88 

Catholic "Printer tf 

Sch ool- Hook 25 

Cannon's Practical Spelter 25 

( Carpenter's Speller 25 



Dick Masseif. An Irish Story 1 00 

Doctrine of Miracles Explained. 1 00 

Doctrinal Vatecn ism 50 

Douag 25 II 

Diploma of Children of Mary.. 20 

Catholic Prayer-Books, 25 cts., 50 cts., up to 12 OO 
{SIT" Any of above books sent free by mail on receipt of 
price. Agents wanted everywhere to sell above books, to 
whom liberal terms will be given. Address 
P. J. KE^FDY, Excelsior Catholic Publishing Hoaee, 
5 Jia relay Street, A" w York. 



Publications cf P. J. Kenedy, 5 Barclay St, N. Y. 

Erin go Bragh. (Sentimental Song- 
ster.) $0 25 

EINuevo Testamento. (Spanish.). 1 50 

Elevation of the Soul to God f5 

Epistles and Gospels. (Goffine.). . . 2 00 

Eucharistica ; or, Holy Eucharist. . . 1 00 

End of Controversy. (Milner.) 7.5 

El Nuevo Catecismo. (Spanish).. . . 15 
El Catecismo de la Doctrina 

Cristiana. (Spanish Catechism) 15 

El Catecismo Ripalda. (Spanish). 12 

Fnrniss' Tracts for Spiritual 

Reading 1 00 

Faugh a Ballagh Comic Song- 

ster 25 

Fifty Reasons 25 

Following of Christ . 50 

Fashion. A Tale. 35 Illustrations. . 50 
Faith and Fancy. Poems. By 

Savage f5 

Glories of Mary. (St. Liguori.) 1 25 

Golden Hook of Confraternities. 50 

Grounds of Catholic Doctrine. .. 25 

Grace 9 s Outlines of History 50 

Holy Eucharist 1 00 

Hours before the Altar. Red 

edges 50 



Catholic Prayer-Books, 25 cts., 50 cts., up to 12 00 
JSf" Any of above books sent free by mail on receipt of 
price. Agents wanted everywhere to sell above books, to 
whom liberal terms will be given. Address 
P. J. KE\ED¥, Excelsior Catholie Publishing House, 
5 Barclay Street, Neva York. 



Publications of P. J. Kenedy, 5 Barclay St., N. Y. 


History of Ireland. Moore. 2 vols. 


$5 00 


" " O'Mahoney's 




Keating 


4 OO 


Ha 1/ on Miracles 


1 00 


Ham iltons. A Tale 


50 


History of Modern Europe. Shea. 


1 25 


Hoars with Sacred Heart of 




\ Jesus 


50 


Irish Fireside Stories, Tales, 


and Legends (magnificent new 




just out). About 400 pages large L2mo, 




containing over 40 humorous and i>a- 




thetic sketches. 13 fine full-page Illus- 
trations. Sold on!'/ by 8U08ffription. 






Onlv 


1 OO 

1 OO 


Irish National Son aster 




10 


Keeper of the Lazaretto. A Tale. 


40 


Kir wan I nmasked 


12 


King's Daughters, Ad Allegory... 


75 


TAfe and Legends of St. "Patrick. 


1 00 


Life of St. Mara of Egypt 


GO 


" " H inefrtdf 


60 


Louis 


40 


Alphonsus M. Liauori. 


75 


" Ignatius Lotfola. 2 




\s 


3 OO 


Life of Blessed Virgin 


75 


Catholic Prayer-B<«>ks, 25 cts., 50 cts., up to 12 00 


i^W Any of above hook- sent free by mail on receipt of 


price. Agents wanted everywhere to sell above book?, to 


whom liberal terms will be given. Address 




P. J. K EN EOY, Excelsior Catholic Publishing House, 


J Barclay Street, Xew York. 





Publications of P. J. Kenedy, 5 Barclay £.t, N. Y. 

Life of Madame de la Peltrie. . . $0 50 

Lily of Israel. 22 Engravings 75 

Life Stories of Dying Penitents. 75 

Love of Mary 50 

Love of Christ 50 

Life of rope Pius IX , . . . . 1 OO 

Lenten Manual 50 

Lizzie Maitland. A Tale 75 

Little Frank. A Tale 50 

Little Catholic Hymn-Book 10 

Lyra Catholica (large Hymn-Book).. 75 



Mission and Duties of Young 

Women 60 

Maltese Cross. A Tale 40 

Manual of Children of Mary. . . , 50 

Mater Admirabilis 1 50 

Mysteries of the Incarnation. 

(ist. Liguori.) 75 

Mouth of November 40 

Month of Sacred Heart of Jesus. 50 

" "Mary 50 

Manual of Controversy , 75 

Michael Dwyer. An Irish Story of 

1798 "... 1 00 

3Iilner's End of Controversy 75 

Mat/ Brooke ; or, Conscience. A 

Tale 1 OO 

New Testament 50 



Catholic Prayer-Books, 25 cts., £0 cts., vptol2 CO 
83^~ Any of above books sent free by mail on receipt cf 
price. Agents wanted everywhere to sell above books, to 
whom liberal terms will be given. Address 
P. J. EENKDY, Excelsior Catholic Publishing House, 
5 Barclay Street, New York. 



Publications of P. J. Kenedy, 5 Barclay St., N. Y. 

Oramaika. An Indian Story $0 15 

Old Andrew the II ea ver. ' 50 

Preparation for Death. St. Li- 

guori 75 

Prayer. By St. Liguori 50 

Papist Misrepresented 25 

Poor Man's Catech ism 75 

Rosary Book. 15 Illustrations 10 

Pome: Its Churches, Charities, and 
Schools. Bv Rev. Win. H. Xeligan, 

LL.D 1 00 

Bodriguez f S Christian Perfee- 

tion. 3 vols. Only complete edition. 4 OO 

Pule of Life. St. Liguori 40 

Sure Way; or, Father and Son. 25 

Scapula r Hook lO 

Spirit of St. Liguori 75 

Stations of the Cross. 14 Illustra- 
tions JO 

Spiritual Maxims, (St. Vincent de 

Paul) 40 

Saintly Characters, Bv Rev. Wm, 

IT. Neligan, LL.D 1 OO 

Seraphic Staff 25 

Manual, 75 cts. to 3 OO 

Sermons of Fattier Burke, plain. 2 00 

«• gilt edges 3 OO 



Catholic Prayer-Bocks, C6 cte., 50 cts., vp to 12 CO 

fW Any of above books sent free by mail on r< i 
price. Agents wanted everywhere to sell above books, to 
whom liberal terms will be given. A 

P. J. KE\FD¥. .-Home-. 

,~> Barrlaij Street, Heu> York. 



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